Naruhina
by lord-daegoth
Summary: reposting stuff done on DA in a place that actually suits it.
1. Chapter 1

**NaruHina Fanfic part 1: Sakura's Plan**

What a day, he thought to himself as he stumbled along the dusty road. It was incredibly hot, today had the highest temperatures Konoha had seen in a long time. He was also exhausted from his training. Damn that perverted hermit, he was driving him into the ground with all the training.  
>Not that Naruto didn't want to train, he had to get stronger, he had to get Sasuke back. Even if it meant beating him senseless to do it. Naruto sighed, it'd been a long time since he'd had any news about Sasuke but at least he wasn't in Oruchimaru's clutches.<br>He looked up. Not a single cloud. He dragged his feet forward, he had to get home, in his nice cool apartment. He probably also needed a shower, he'd worked his hardest today. Though it had to be said, the work did pay off.  
>He had a new technique, he couldn't wait to show off. Not only that, Lee had dropped by and the perverted hermit had asked him to help Naruto improve his taijutsu skills, it had not improved much but he was getting better. He was still excited about his new move, it took a lot to do but considering it's range and damage, it'd help if he couldn't get close to an enemy.<br>He looked up. His eyes were drawn to one sign on the street. His favourite ramen restaurant. He staggered into it and took a seat.  
>"The usual please. And a big glass of water please." He croaked, the old man looked at him and nodded. Naruto looked at him and noticed even he had stripped down to the waist. Damn this heat, Naruto thought to himself. he copied the old man and removed his shirt, leaving his muscled body exposed to the air. It didn't make much of a difference, but it was something. He gazed around lazily, only to see Hinata sat only two seats away from him, blushing furiously. Naruto sighed, one day he was going to ask her why she blushes so much, he wouldn't be surprised if it was permenant.<br>"Hey Hinata. How'd that mission of yours go? Kiba told me that it was exhausting, but didn't say anything else," He said smiling.  
>"Y-y-yes it was N-N-Naruto-kun. We had to go through a-a-around three countries to get to this cave. A-a-and what we were l-l-looking for wasn't there so we spent nearly a week looking for it." She said, forcing the words out.<br>"wow, I thought training was tough." He looked at her closely, then gave her a disgusted look. "Hinata, how can you still wear that thing in this heat?" he said, pointing at her jacket. Jeez, he thought, maybe for once she isn't blushing.  
>"Oh, I-I-I don't think it's that hot really." She said. That was a lie and Naruto knew it. He put his hand up to her cheek. She was incredibly hot. He took his hand away and gave her a stern look.<br>"Then why does it feel like you've just come out of an oven? You should really take that jacket off you know." He said to her in a level voice. He didn't expect the response he got.  
>She feinted. He shot up out of his seat and caught her. He looked up at the old man, who stood there obviously found something funny, and said<br>"save my ramen, I'll be back soon!" then he bolted, carrying Hinata in his arms.

Hinata found herself feeling as though she were being carried. Then she remember what had happened, and she looked up into his face. Her mind went numb. He's carrying me, I'm close to him. She felt dizzy, she already knew what was happening.  
>She feinted again.<p>

Naruto could have sworn he felt Hinata stir, but he'd checked and she was defiantly still unconscious. He wondered what had happened. He remember Sakura berating him about being careful in extreme heat, because it could cause heat exhaustion. When he'd asked what's wrong with that she'd hit him. Really hard. That could only be bad.

Sakura was sat at the reception desk. It was possibly the most boring job a medical shinobi to be assigned. She'd been here most of the morning, and almost nothing had happened today. No shinobi had come back injured from a mission, no sudden emergency, just endless monotonous paperwork and watching in case anyone came in.  
>It was all so tedious.<br>The doors flung open and Naruto rushed in. for a moment she almost thought something interesting was happening. Her disappointment turned to curiosity and irritation when she realised he was carrying an unconscious Hinata. What's he done this time? Probably brushed her in passing or something, it's really a wonder how he hadn't figured out why she passes out only when he is about. But then again, it was Naruto. He could be so impossibly dense sometimes.  
>"alright, just leave her here and I'll take a look at her," she sighed. He beamed at her, with that goofy grin of his.<br>"thanks a lot Sakura-chan!" he said explosively and bolted back out of the door. Sakura laughed, his speed meant that when she'd feinted he'd either been training or getting ramen. She decided it was the latter, no one could train in this heat. Once more she praised the hospital's air conditioning. She got up and looked at Hinata, and flicked her nose.  
>Hinata woke with a start and sat bolt upright.<br>"jeez, considering that jacket of yours I thought Naruto may have thought you had heat exhaustion. Oh well, what did he do to set you off this time?" Sakura asked, giggling, as Hinata's face went deep crimson. She tried to sputter out some explanation or excuse, but Sakura had no idea what she was saying because she was stuttering so much. She just laughed harder.  
>"don't worry Hinata, he'll recognise your feelings for him at some point," she said to the stuttering girl. She stopped stuttering immediately and looked straight at Sakura.<br>"do you really think that?" Hinata said very quietly.  
>"defiantly… though, if you want things speeded up, I can always beat some sense into that thick skull of his," Sakura said, grinning. Hinata looked at her and giggled. She liked Sakura, she wished she had her confidence. Every time Naruto came into sight she blushed. Even worse, if he touched her she fainted, though she was slowly getting out of that habit.<br>Hinata looked at Sakura. Her green eyes were always soft and caring, the same as her face. True, Hinata had never actually been there when she got mad, but she had heard that she seemed like an angry Tsunade-Sama if someone irritated her. The pink haired medical shinobi sat back down at the desk, still smiling. She looked at Hinata, her face turned serious.  
>"Hinata, tomorrow, met me here at daybreak." She said.<br>"w-w-why?" Hinata asked, slightly confused with what could have been described as a command.  
>"I have a plan of sorts," she said, her grin returning. Hinata thought that it made her look slightly feral.<p>

Naruto looked up at the sky. Clouds. Big, Black, evil looking clouds. The weather really was all over the place, he thought. Still, it was better than yesterdays heat, considering the perverted hermit said his training was stepping up today. He could only imagine what new scheme Jiraiya ad come up with. He was sure it would be more taijutsu with fuzzy-brows lee.  
>He was getting close to the training ground when he hard a hiss.<br>"Naruto, over here quickly." It was Jiraiya. Naruto wondered what the perverted hermit was doing. A thought came to him. Whenever sensei was in a bush, whispering to him instead of talking normally, he was generally being perverted. Naruto sighed.  
>"no way, perverted hermit, I know EXACTLY what you're doing, and there's no way I'm picking up on that habit," he said defiantly. Jiraiya's head popped out of the bush, his aged face serious and strong. Naruto was confused, the perverted hermit never had that face on when he was watching girls. But he was in a bush, obviously looking at something. Naruto was really confused. He started walking towards his white haired teacher.<br>The two made their way back into the bush. They both sat and Jiraiya pointed out the two on the training grounds. Two female ninja. He knew he never should have trusted Jiraiya.  
>"Naruto, look at their fighting styles," Jiraiya said quietly. Naruto's curiosity forced him to look, maybe Jiraiya could be trusted after all. He looked closely at the two, it was Sakura and Hinata, and they were sparring. He looked at the fighting styles as he was told. Sakura was using her monstrous strength to her advantage, leaving holes in the ground which Hinata would later have to avoid, this was made even more perilous for Hinata as she could only dodge Sakura's attacks when Sakura was using that titanic strength. Hinata's fighting style was still the Gentle Fist style, though she wasn't using her chakra with it. She was precise as ever and her flexibility let her dodge all of Sakura's attacks, even with the pot holes.<br>Jiraiya let out a loud curse as something had seemingly stung his hand. Naruto held his breath. If Sakura caught him watching her with the perverted hermit he was going to get hurt. He also really didn't want to get caught by Hinata, she blushed every time she saw him anyway, he could only imagine what it'd be like if she thought he was looking at her in that way.  
>The two broke apart, they kept their eyes on each other. Naruto began breathing again, glad that they hadn't noticed him. He looked closely at Hinata. She was forming seals. He watched, hypnotised, curious as to what this was. A large circular area of the ground started glowing. Sakura leapt forward to attack. Hinata side stepped the blow with her arms and body weaving an intricate design. Naruto was amazed, the earth was following her, flowing like water.<br>Then it hit him. He'd seen that movement before nearly five years ago when trying to find Sasuke. It was her, he couldn't believe it. His head felt light, he was only vaguely curious about why the ground had come up to meet him as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Jiraiya laughed as he stood up and dragged Naruto out of the hedge. It looks as if Sakura's little plan had worked, though he wasn't sure why. He looked over and yelled  
>"you can stop now, he's not watching anymore!" he shouted, lifting the unconscious blonde ninja. He started laughing as he walked towards them. Hinata looked shocked, she looked at Naruto, then back to Sakura, then at Naruto again. She went stiff, as if she knew something dreadful had happened, her face flashed to crimson and she too toppled to the ground.<br>Jiraiya laughed even harder as he approached Sakura. "How on earth did you get her to do it right without telling her what to do?" he chuckled. Sakura flashed him a grin.  
>"I guess I'm just Talented Jiraiya-Sama," she said smiling.<br>"my, my I guess you're proud of your work here then," he said.  
>"oh, it's not finished. Hinata's too shy and Naruto is too dense. This is just the start..."<p>

**NaruHina Fanfic Part two: Chakra Suprise :)**

Naruto opened his eyes and groaned. He wanted to go back to sleep. He wanted to go back to that dream. He remembered so vividly now. He'd seen her nearly five years back. She'd been doing the exact same movements as a few days ago. He remembered her beautiful shape dancing on top of the water, just in front of a water fall, the water following her movements with the same grace. She was the girl that'd been in his dreams for so long.  
>What had him confused was the fact that whatever she'd been wearing when he saw her silhouette fitted and clung to her very tightly, and he couldn't remember any clothes she had that had those properties. He strained his mind to explain it. Then it hit him.<br>His cheeks began burning as he came to realise it. She had no clothes that fitted that description; they were all loose and revealed nothing about her figure. Which meant that the only thing that fitted that was nothing. He felt his face get redder and redder. He couldn't believe what he was thinking. Why was he thinking about this? It's Hinata, even if he did like her, it wasn't as if she liked him. Not only that but she was the heiress to Konoha's Remaining noble clan, even if they both like each other, nothing could happen as the Hyuuga would forbid it.  
>Well, I have to get up, he thought, the perverted hermit might get irritable if I'm late. Though, if it's like last time, there was no way he was going to miss it.<br>He shoved off the bed covers had walked into the bathroom. He walked to the sink and filled it with water. Then he sank his face into it. The cold stung his face slightly, but it got rid of the drowsiness, he needed to be alert if Jiraiya was planning any tricks for him. He wondered the actual reason for making him watch Hinata and Sakura was. When he'd asked the answer he got was that Sakura represented Naruto's fighting style, direct and terribly strong, whereas Hinata's style was what Naruto needed to learn. Not the Gentle fist itself, but fragile skill. When the perverted hermit had used those words he'd laughed, which got the reply "that's what it was, and it took everything your kind of style had in it's stride, now what does that tell you?"  
>Those words still echoed in his head. He was tempted to ask Hinata for some tips on how to make his fighting more skilful and less reliant on his raw power and timing, but he didn't think he'd be able to face her without going as red as a tomato. He'd also thought about asking Neji, but that would be bad as Neji relied on power as well. He also didn't want to lower himself, he was too proud to ask Neji because Neji would take it as Naruto being inferior. Then he'd decided on who to try and learn "fragile Skill" from, Kakashi. Naruto was stronger than him, Kakashi had admitted that without prompting, he also had told Naruto that his power exceeded both Jiraiya and Tsunade, but he could still learn as his skill was a shadow of theirs.<br>That was what the perverted hermit had been getting at; Naruto was slowly improving his timing, his strategy and using them to compliment his raw power, but he still needed delicacy and more stealth. So after training today, he was going to pester Kakashi into training him a bit.

Hinata was walking down the street to the training fields again. She wanted to see Naruto. She couldn't stop daydreaming about him fainting because of her movements. He liked her! Her thoughts started racing again, her heart started beating. She was embarrassed beyond believe but Sakura's plan had worked, Naruto liked her, she had to see him again, soon.  
>Though, she thought, he might not, that may have just been from finding out it was me by the waterfall instead of just about me. But still, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to talk to him, what if she feinted again? What if Naruto still liked Sakura? All the "What If's" came crashing down on her. Maybe Sakura had been wasting her time.<br>She kept walking, lost in her own thoughts as someone slammed into her from the side. She let out a yell of surprise and threw her arms around the person to keep her balance, and he caught her by the waist for the same reason. She didn't have to look at the face to realise who it was. Only one ninja wore a bright orange tracksuit. She was holding onto him, she was really close. She felt the warmth spreading through her cheeks, she looked up at him, into his azure blue eyes. She held his gaze. It felt like an eternity until she realised that he was going red to. He was actually blushing! She felt dizzy, but she was determined not to feint.  
>"H-H-Hinata, would you, umm, like to meet up sometime after I've finished training?"<br>"S-s-sure, Naruto-kun" she said. She couldn't believe it, a date with Naruto-kun not only that, she hadn't feinted. She smiled at him. Their faces were close, she could feel his breath. He pulled away and put her upright and smiled at her with his almost trademark grin  
>"see you later, Hinata-chan" he said sprinting off to his training. She stared after him for a while, not truly understanding what had just happened and her heart racing. She'd dreamed of this for so long, ever since she'd first laid eyes on the blonde ninja. It was happening, her dream was finally coming true.<br>Eventually, she reluctantly tore her eyes from the path Naruto had just flown down and carried on to the training fields. She wished she could have followed Naruto to the place where he trained, but Kiba and Shino were waiting for her.

Naruto was elated, he'd done it. It'd taken every ounce of will power and he was still shaking but he'd actually done it. He thought about her as the air rushed past his face. His memories wondered to that night he'd seen her at the water fall to the time they had talked before his Chuunin exam match against her cousin Neji. He'd always thought of Hinata as a very kind person and aside from Sasuke and Sakura, the best friend he had in his age group.  
>He'd never thought about asking her on a date before now though. He suddenly went cold. What were they going to do? He didn't know what Hinata liked to do or what she liked to eat. His heart sank, he'd managed to screw up already. Well, he thought, I've never given up on anything and I'm not starting now, I'll think of something.<br>He saw the perverted hermit talking to Kakashi. That was good, he need to talk to him. Now about two things rather than one. The two turned and looked at him. Jiraiya was obviously in a bad mood, and Kakashi was, as always, impassive.  
>"hey! Ero-sennin! Why the long face?" Naruto yelled. He knew the reaction he'd get, he loved irritating his teacher.<br>"Naruto," Jiraiya said as Naruto got closer "how many times? Seriously, how many times do I need to tell you not to call me 'Ero-Sennin' before you actually do as you're told?" Naruto just grinned, there wasn't a need to say anything. Though he was still curious as to why the perverted hermit was upset.  
>"Naruto," Kakashi said quietly "they reason Jiraiya's irritable is that an ANBU member is following you." The words were like a slap in the face to Naruto. Why would the elite ninja hunters following him? He'd been questioned by them before when the trap master had got everyone running round trying to stop him from destroying Konoha, but what was happening now?<br>"Kakashi-sensei, why?" Naruto mumbled.  
>"we don't know why yet, it could be anything, but considering who it is, it's something big." Kakashi said, obviously worried. His answer, however, just made him want to know more, which Jiraiya picked up on.<br>"The ANBU member is possibly one of the deadliest ninja we know. He's part Kashu clan. His mission success rate is 100 percent, just like the rest of his clan, and he knows more techniques then Kakashi does. Still, that's not the worst thing, his bloodline limit gives him three distinct advantages over other Shinobi; he's been alive for nearly one hundred years and hasn't shown any signs of ageing, he has a perfect memory and he can crush some ones mind." Jiraiya said, his voice deathly quiet. Naruto still wanted to know more, how was it possible to crush some ones mind?  
>"Still there's nothing we can do about it. And he is loyal to Hokage-sama so we don't need to worry." Kakashi said, returning to his usual sunny disposition "anyway, Jiraiya-sama has asked me to take your training today, so you can learn some grace," even with the face mask he always wore, Naruto could tell his old teacher was grinning broadly.<br>"Kakashi-sensei, before we start, there's something I need to ask you." He said. Kakashi raised the only eyebrow Naruto could see. Naruto was about to begin when he remembered Jiraiya was still around. "um, I'd rather say it in private."  
>Jiraiya glared at him and stalked off, not happy that he was being shoved off like a third wheel. "well, umm, I'm in a bit of trouble, see, I've asked this girl on a date and I really like her, but I didn't think things through and I have no idea what she likes or anything like that. I was just wondering if you could help…" he said, his eyes pleading and his voice uncertain.<br>So, Kakashi mused, he's finally got himself a date, I wonder who it is.  
>"well, I can't really help if I don't know who it is," he chuckled. Naruto, to Kakashi's surprise, started to change colour. And he finally whispered<br>"H-H-Hinata."  
>"Well, well, well. I didn't see that one coming… unfortunately, I know as much as you do." Kakashi felt bad about saying that, his pupil had been relying on him and he could see his heart plummet as Kakashi told him. An idea hit. "you could always ask Hokage-sama,"<br>Kakashi got another shock, Naruto looked up at him as if he'd just saved his life. It was a little embarrassing. "okay, let's get on with the training…"

"umm, Sakura?" A small voice said. Sakura spun on her heel to see the speaker. Hinata sprang back, surprised by Sakura's reflex. Sakura smiled.  
>"Hello Hinata, how are you? More importantly how are things going with Naruto, I haven't seen him since he feinted," she laughed, the sight of Naruto unconscious because of seeing Hinata was one of the more amusing parts of her plan.<br>"T-t-that's what I came to talk to you about," the shy indigo haired shinobi stuttered. "y-y-you see, he's asked me out on a date."  
>"That's great Hinata, when did this happen?"<br>"A-a-about an hour ago… t-the thing is that I don't know what to do, this will be my first date." She seemed worried, Sakura thought she'd be happy, she's been waiting years for this.  
>"Hinata, just ask him to Ichiraku's place, he loves ramen, so he'll be more then happy to go." Sakura told her, it was perfectly true, if you want to impress Naruto all you had to do was give him ramen. She really felt that it was possibly the least romantic way to get a guy, but she was sure it'd work.<br>"T-t-thank you Sakura," Hinata said. She was already think how to say it to Naruto. She had to get over the stutter, it cropped up whenever she talked about him or if he was near. Why was she so nervous? She preferred not to think through the answers.  
>"no worries Hinata." Sakura smiled, but Hinata wasn't listening, in fact she was already wondering away, aimlessly drifting down the street lost in thought. "man, she really likes him…"<p>

"you're really not getting this, are you?" he wondered if his student was actually capable of moving with any care whatsoever.  
>"No Kakashi-sensei, this is really, really hard." Naruto sat down heavily. He'd been practising for nearly three hours; he still couldn't avoid the strings and potholes without making a racket. This time round he'd tripped on a pothole and got tangled in five different tripwires.<br>He was hopless, this wasn't his style.  
>"let's take a break. You should go see Tsunade-sama, and on the way back, get us some food." Kakashi said, absently tossing him a few coins. Naruto caught them and was gone. Kakashi sighed, he was really getting too excited about this. Oh well, it gave him a chance to read.<p>

Tsunade was sat in her chair, taking a look at the newest reports and requests. She looked over at the piles of paperwork, she'd never get through it all. Ever. Even her debt problems were still about after all these years, she really shouldn't have borrowed that much.  
>Still, there was one piece of good news, they had a link to sasuke. Naruto was sure to be happy about that. She smiled, that boy really did remind her of her little brother. Same face, aside from Naruto's whisker birthmarks, same impatience, pride and desire to protect others. Though Naruto was a lot denser. She listened to the birds singing just outside her window, they seemed happy but then again they didn't have to work.<br>Tsunade was about to focus on her job, but she found it impossible to ignore the feet pounding up the stairs. It looked like even Jiraiya's training could keep the blonde ninja away from her. The pounding stopped. He knocked at the door. That was the give away, he was defiantly after something.  
>"Come in," she said, picking up a piece of paper and pretending to read it. The boy opened the door and walked through, closing it quietly behind him. He really was after something, that door had never been shut by him without a bang.<br>"Tsunade-sama," that was another really big give away, no way Naruto would call her sama or drop the irritating reference to her age on any normal occasion… did he already know about saskue? "I really need your help." That was a shock, Naruto never asked for help if it could possibly be avoided, unless it was training.  
>"What with, Naruto?" she asked softly.<br>"W-well, I'm not sure how to say it." His face contorted with concentration "well, you know Hinata…" now she was interested. She dropped the paper and looked straight at him, had Hinata finally got him, after all these years?  
>"Yes, I know Hinata…" she left the sentence hanging, encouraging him to get to the point.<br>"Well, I've asked her on a date and I have no idea what she likes to do, so I need help…" his face was flushed. He was really embarrassed. Against her will, Tsunade laughed, loudly. Naruto's face went crimson as he tried to contain the torrent of insults building up in his mind, he needed her help badly, and if it meant humiliation that was a price he was willing to pay… even if it was expensive.  
>"So you've finally noticed, eh?" she asked, he gave her a blank look. "okay, maybe you haven't, but Hinata has had feelings for you since before you were a Genin," His jaw dropped… she never thought a she could enjoy a visit from Naruto this much. "but, with an answer to your problems… that needs some thought." She leaned back in her chair. What could he use? She thought it over for a couple of minutes, then she remembered Yondaime. That tactic was nearly impossible to resist, and she knew Hinata liked nature, so this was sure to get her attention.<br>"Naruto, do you know how to keep the Rasengan going when you're not in contact with it?" she asked.  
>"what does that have to do with this?" he asked, obviously confused.<br>"Naruto, listen and listen closely…"

Hinata was waiting exactly where Naruto had run into her, he was late. She felt nervous. Maybe he wasn't coming, maybe he'd forgotten. She sighed, and then smiled again. It was forced, she really didn't want Sakura yelling at her from the roof she was hiding on. She'd insisted on watching the two meet. Maybe she knew how Hinata would feel.  
>"Hinata!" she spun on her heel to she the orange and black clad ninja. She often wondered why he wore those colours, they were possibly the worst colours for a Shinobi to wear, but she liked them anyway. As he got closer she noticed he was grinning broadly, he practically radiated confidence.<br>He stopped about a foot in front of her.  
>"hi, sorry I'm late, I needed a bath. Kakashi put me through a fairly hard training exercise."<br>"Don't worry, shall we go?" she said, trying her very hardest to sound confident. He looked at her in surprise.  
>"where to?"<br>"Ichiraku's, I thought you might like to eat there." She was really trying not to stutter, and she wasn't. Her worries started to fall away. It was becoming easier for her. The two set off to Ichiraku's restaurant.  
>Sakura leaned back and smiled. She wholeheartedly hoped they enjoied tonight.<p>

The two sat there, talking. Neither of them really cared what they talked about, they just talked. Of missions they'd been on, old memories they shared and memories they didn't share. The day was beginning to fade, he decided he'd wait a little longer. So it continued, they laughed and joked about their comrades. She loved his jokes about Gai and his impression of Kiba had her giggling for ages. Naruto had never heard Hinata tell a joke or do an impression and cajoled her into trying. He laughed so hard his sides hurt when she chose to tell a joke about Jiraiya instead. He looked outside, the sun was red and the sky was somewhere between crimson and pink.  
>"Old man Ichiraku?" he said, getting the owners attention "here's the money,"<br>"Thank you Naruto". He said, smiling.  
>"Where are we going Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, confused as to why they were leaving.<br>"It's a surprise, it's what I had planned before we came here." He said, his smile broader than ever.  
>The two left the restaurant and kept talking. It took them about fifteen minutes to get to where Naruto wanted to go. A circle of trees that had grown together so closely that their branches enveloped the tree next to it, forming a circular wooden wall, with only one way in. the two crept through.<br>Hinata gasped, it was a beautiful place. The sun filtered into the grove through the upper branches, there was a pond of crystal clear water lined with pebbles and beautiful water plants and a rock formation to the side that looked as if nature had intended for it to be a seat.  
>Naruto led her over to the rocks and sat her down, and told her to close her eyes.<br>"this will only take a minute or two." He whispered softly. She sat, her curiosity building. She wondered what he was doing. She gasped, but she kept her eyes closed, he was using Chakra to do what ever he was doing. She was tempted to use the byakugan to see what he was up to, but decided against it. Naruto had his reasons, and she desperately didn't want to ruin the evening.  
>Naruto sat back down beside her and whispered as softly as he could into her ear<br>"you can open your eyes now, Hinata"  
>When she did, she was dazzled by what she saw. A ball of flowing water sat atop the surface of the pond, whirling as if frenzied. In the centre of the ball was another whirling ball, but it was Chakra instead of the water. The Chakra's glow poured out through the water and the mist forming around it, though it was diffracted and changed by the water and the light became many different colours and shades. The beams of light shone onto the trees and illuminated the grove, mixing slightly with the red sunlight, creating the most beautiful colours Hinata had ever seen. She sat hypnotised by the lights.<br>Soon the red faded out of the grove, as the sun hid itself from Konoha, and all that was left in the display was aquatic blues and greens, along with a cool night breeze. This was truly the most amazing thing. It was also the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her, she forgot her worries, her scornful father, the long past death of her mother, the pressure her clan heaped on her. She had even forgotten Naruto himself and lost herself in the kind beauty she saw before her. He had done this for her, the thought caused a two twin tears to run down her cheeks. Now more than ever, she loved the blonde haired ninja that sat beside her. She looked up into his brilliant cerulean eyes and his strong, gentle face.  
>And she realised.<br>He was really struggling to keep the chakra ball and the water going. He had already done enough. She hugged him even closer to her, it felt nice, she knew she was blushing furiously but she didn't care, this was the happiest she'd ever been.  
>"N-N-Naruto-kun, you can stop now," she whispered, pouring as much of her love for him as she could into those words, the stutter coming from awe and love instead of nerves.<br>He sighed and slumped. He was tired. He had put the usual amount of Chakra into the Rasengan, he'd had no idea how draining it was to hold it for just over an hour. Still it was worth it. Hinata was hugging him fiercely and it felt good. He'd impressed her, he was fairly sure of her. He looked down into her pale lavender eyes, holding her gaze.  
>"Did you enjoy it?" he asked, already knowing the answer. She smiled and nodded and then did something that nothing could have prepared him for. She lifted her head up to his and put her lips to his. His heart was pounding in the back of his head and his stomach was doing back flips, but this moment was too good to let anything stop him. The two fell onto the grass around the pond, kissing passionately. To Naruto, it seemed to last forever, and one thought passed through his mind; this was the happiest moment of his life.<br>Hinata broke away and looked at him deeply with her pale lavender eyes. At that point Naruto could only think that those orbs were as beautiful to him as his light show had been to her.  
>"I-I-I love you Naruto-kun" she whispered into his ear.<br>"I love you too Hinata-chan…"

**NaruHina Fanfic part 3: Enter Shadowmaster**

Naruto lay under his blanket, stretched out as far as he could, thinking of the night that had just passed. He didn't know what to think, could it have just been a dream? It'd ended so abruptly. He remembered showing Hinata the place granny Tsunade had showed him and then putting on the light show for her.  
>Then they had kissed.<br>The thought of it made him tremble, he had enjoyed every moment of it, his heart had been thundering loudly in the back of his head and the grass had felt soft beneath him. Hinata had pushed herself into him as far as possible, she'd felt warm and soft against his body. Just thinking of her made his stomach twinge with excitement.  
>He hoped it wasn't a dream.<br>But his heart told him it had all been so very real.

Hinata lay blissfully curled under the sheets of her bed, giggling softly to herself. It had finally happened, what she had dreamed of for so long, Naruto had finally said that he loved her. Her giggle turned into laughter as she remembered what had happened after their kissing and confessions.  
>He'd feinted.<br>After having herself feinted as she thought of that moment with him, the irony that he'd feinted instead of her when the moment had actually come was, almost painfully, apparent. She sighed happily, she had finally found love. She was ecstatic, not even the thoughts of her scornful father or the fact he would not approve of her relationship with Naruto could bring sad thoughts into her mind.  
>She couldn't wait to see him again.<p>

Hiashi looked into the shadow. He knew someone was there, he could sense their chakra. What had him worried was the Byakugan couldn't see him. It was the first time he had seen the Byakugan fail. He thought carefully, and realised he was wrong, he had seen the Byakugan fail before, but only once. A flood of fear ran through him. He knew who it was.  
>The Shadow Master.<br>Kaisen Kashu.  
>He remembered Kaisen him something close to awe. Even the third and his old Sensei respected this Shinobi's power to the point of reverence. He steeled himself, he was in his clan's complex and he should not know fear knowing that a battalion of Hyuuga guard were in the very same complex.<br>"I know you're there, you may as well come out." He said, forcing his fear to the back of his mind.  
>"You're sharp. I never expected that of you, I thought those eyes had blinded you." A deep voice came from the man materialising. The man was half a foot taller than Hiashi, and wore the mask that was the trademark of ANBU. Hiashi didn't know what to think, he wore the mask of an ANBU but his armour was completely different. ANBU armour was light, a steel mesh with a light breastplate and guards for the arms and shins. Kaisen's armour was full, thick plates of black steel, and what was not covered by heavy plates was guarded by thick chain mail. He looked like an ancient titan.<br>"You would do well not to insult me in my own grounds." Hiashi spat. There was no way he, a noble of Konoha, would endure taunts from a rogue ninja that had forsaken his manners.  
>The figure laughed "if you are referring to your guards, your head would leave your shoulders before you could speak. You forget who I am, and the sword I carry." Hiashi's mind froze. The madman had brought it with him? That sword had a long and very bloody history. The Kashu clan had forged it as one of there three prized blades, and though Hiashi did not know its power, the fact the third had requested that it never be drawn within Konoha's walls was enough to drain his pride and anger. "Though, I am not here to fight. I know you, your pride is titanic and I have often thought it one of your virtues, but now is the time to place it aside. Something that must happen will hurt that ego of yours badly, but you shall not interfere." The armoured figure warned, his voice flat and deadly. "You will know of what I speak, when it comes to pass."<br>The armoured man faded to nothing, not even the presence of his chakra. He was gone. Hiashi was alone, confused and furious. That bastard was going to interfere with something in HIS clan. He didn't know what it was, but they way he spoke meant he referred to the prophecy his clan followed. What foolishness. He would not allow that insult to go unpunished, and as retribution he would not allow whatever it was come to pass.  
>Hiashi looked up. The sky was clear, but his day was already looked upon by black clouds.<p>

Tsunade sat at her desk, tired and irritable. She'd had very little sleep in the night, and the work was really getting too much for her. All she wanted to do now was go out to that pond of hers with a bottle of sake. But, she thought as she looked out of her window, that would never happen as long as this mountain of work remained. For one fleeting moment, she regretted meeting Shizune.  
>There was a polite knock at the door.<br>"Come in," she said aggressively, she was in no mood to be polite. The door opened and a pink haired, green eyed young ninja stepped through. Tsunade smiled. Sakura was the one person she wanted to see.  
>"Good morning Tsunade-Sama. I'm very sorry to disturb you, but received a very disturbing warning." The young medic looked very confused, and slightly scared. "I was asked to tell you that Hyuuga Hiashi is about to become a problem."<br>"Ah, I was afraid of that. Thank you Sakura." She said, deep in thought. Sakura was about to leave when Tsunade spoke again. "Sakura, have you seen Naruto and Hinata today?" she asked with curiosity burning in her eyes. She looked upon Naruto almost as her little brother, and she really wanted to know if her advice had worked.  
>"no, but I'm seeing them both later. Why do you ask?" Sakura replied, wondering why her Sensei was interested in Naruto and Hinata, she couldn't know about the da-<br>"I want to know if their date went well." She said quickly, obviously knowing Sakura's thoughts. Sakura was dumbstruck.  
>"how did you kn-"<br>"that's my business," Tsunade said smugly, she loved tormenting her student, it nearly made her work bearable, but she was still disappointed that there was no news about the two. "when you do see them, however, send them to me… and while you're at it, find Neji, Lee, Shino, Kiba and Shikamaru."  
>Sakura turned to leave. Tsunade let her go. Naruto was going to love this mission.<p>

Hinata found it hard to concentrate, her thoughts of her handsome blonde ninja kept intruding into her mind. She really couldn't afford to lose concentration in training though, especially with Kiba and Shino hurling Kunai at her while she was moving on the top of a grid of foot high, upright logs hammered into the ground. It would hurt real bad if she slipped an fell. It'd be worse if a Kunai found it's mark.  
>She leapt into the air and landed softly on the ground. There was no way she could continue with that much of a distraction. She had to see him again.<br>"Too much? Hinata?" Kiba snickered.  
>"no, I believe it's more than that… she's distracted by something." Shino said in his customarily flat voice, but her Byakugan could see through his coat that obscured the lower half of his face. He was smiling. He'd hit the mark immediately. She was distracted, really distracted. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, daring him to say more. But it wasn't Shino that responded.<br>"hiding something are you Hinata?" Kiba laughed. Her face reddened. Akamaru trotted over to her and sniffed her. The large hound gave two barks and walked back to Kiba's side. "or is it some one? You're as red as a tomato and Akamaru says that Naruto's scent is one you." Kiba was only slightly wrong, his words made her face feel like it was much redder than a tomato.  
>"Hinata!" a female voice sounded to her left. It was Sakura. Hinata was glad to see the female medical shinobi, it'd saved her recounting the story of last night to her teammates. "Good, I found you. Hokage-Sama wants to see all of you right away. Also, do you know where Neji is?" the pink haired girl asked.<br>"Y-y-yeah, he said he would be on the training fields with Tenten, he said something about another version of the Kaiten technique. Why? Does Hokage-Sama want to see him too?" she said, shocked at the question.  
>"Yep, I think she has a mission ready, she's also asked to see a few others as well." Sakura said. As soon as she had finished she sprang up into the trees and headed for the fields. Not wanting to face her team-mate's questions, she did the same, but headed straight for the Hokage building.<p>

Naruto dragged himself up the stairs. Sakura had been vague about why granny Tsunade had asked to see him, but she'd hinted ever so slightly towards the reason being a mission. Knowing Tsunade, it was going to be a long boring mission. Typical, he still had to see Hinata again, and she was sending him of on some run-of-the-mill errand that by rights a ninja shouldn't be doing.  
>Why him?<br>Was she deliberately trying to irritate him?  
>He opened the door and walked in. Tsunade looked up at him and sighed.<br>"close the door, Naruto." He did so. "before you start, how'd it go?" she asked. Naruto looked at her, her eyes were almost literally alight with curiosity. He found it slightly unnerving. Even if he and Tsunade were friends, he felt slightly uncomfortable with the scrutiny. He stood there, he could feel his face gating uncomfortably warm and he found he couldn't talk if he tried. She just chuckled, leaving him even more embarrassed. He felt so helpless.  
>There was a knock at the door, Shino and Kiba walked in. Kiba grinned wickedly at Naruto, and winked. Naruto stiffened. Did they know? Had Hinata told her team mates? Or had they figured it out? The questions that ran through his mind when Akamaru plodded over from Kiba, stiffed him and barked. Kiba laughed outright.<br>Tsunade thought Naruto looked hilarious, it wasn't often she got to see him look crestfallen, but when it came the look on his face was priceless. She wondered if Naruto had considered that Akamaru would notice, but she decided that he'd obviously been far too dense to think of it, as usual. Hinata walked in and looked at the embarrassed blonde ninja. Her face immediately turned pale pink, though Tsunade was shocked that Hinata seemed to be controlling it. Telling him about the Fourth's little trick seemed to have worked out just fine.  
>Naruto noticed that she'd walked in. he couldn't control the blush, or the goofy grin that seeing her had put on his face. She began walking over to him and his face felt as if had just entered a sauna, his heart felt as if it was going to break his ribs with its force. He felt like he was going to burst but he felt considerably better when he realised he wasn't the only one.<br>She was very close before he realised what she wanted. She threw herself forward and slung her arms around his neck. She tilted her face up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He didn't know what to do, but he felt pride welling up inside his chest as his heartbeat relaxed. She'd kissed him in public, dispite her discomfort at being around other people while she did it. She really was becoming more confident about herself.  
>Lee, Neji and Shikamaru burst through the door, and Sakura followed with a stately walk. A silence fell over the room. But it broke after a few seconds.<br>"it seems that we've missed something, Naruto-Kun," Lee said, shocked, but happy to see his friend with his arms around Hinata.  
>"I didn't," Neji said quietly. Naruto couldn't tell if Neji was happy or angry or anything, Hinata's cousin was as blank as ever. He just looked at Naruto, his left eyebrow raised. "Naruto… you may have become strong, but if you diplease Hinata-Sama, I wil…"<br>"Neji, do you really think I'd do that?" he said bluntly, but then, Naruto had never really considered diplomacy as a valid option in most cases.  
>"He has a point Neji," Sakura stepped in. "I don't think that Naruto would do such a thing… besides, I doubt anything he could do would displease Hinata." She continued, grinning.<br>Shikamaru spoke next. "So why did you call us? Hokage-Sama," he said, looking directly at her. He obviously didn't want to be kept in the dark.  
>"I'll get straight to the point." She said, now all business. "Sometime last week, a Ninja clan that belonged to Konoha at one point resurfaced. During the reign of the second Hokage, the entire clan was given the mission of tracking down several very dangerous criminals and eliminating them. The mission was completed, but it had seem as if the last of the criminals took the clan with him. We know now that this is not the case, one of the clan has returned and has asked Konoha for aid."<br>"It seems that one of his clan has betrayed them and stolen two of their sacred weapons. With them he has become incredibly dangerous, hence why so many of you are gathered here." She looked at them all, slowly and deliberately. "The mission is to find and eliminate this threat, and it will be entrusted to three teams. One will be composed of Shino, Naruto, Hinata and Lee. The other will be Shikamaru, Sakura, Neji and Kiba."  
>"I can see why you've chosen those teams, one for tracking and another for power, but who is the third team?" Shikamaru interrupted. Everyone was silent, the question bugged them all.<br>"The third team will consist of the last loyal member of the clan, and he will lead the mission overall, while Shino and Shikamaru lead the two teams. He is an elite, the best Konoha has to offer at this moment. His name is Kashu Kaisen." The name struck Naruto. He remembered his Sensei's words. He couldn't hold it any longer, the words slipped out.  
>"Is it true that the Kashu clan have a one hundred percent mission success rate?" he asked, his voice deathly quiet. He could see the impact of his words on the rest of the Shinobi assembled. He hoped that he was wrong, that there had been some mistake, and that his sensei was wrong. He didn't mind so much that his team mate was one of that clan, what worried him was that his target was also one of them.<br>"Yes, to date, no Kashu clan member has ever failed in a mission, several have died to bring their mission to success. That determination is one of many virtues." She said. She saw that he was genuinely worried. "it's also possible that you're target is beyond all of you, that is why Kaisen is going with you. He should be on an equal footing."  
>Shikamaru was about to say something, but Naruto cut him off. "Tsunade, if we're tracking a Kashu member, we need to know exactly what we're up against, including the clan's bloodline limit." He said it with the flat voice he only ever used when the safety of his friends was in doubt. This was Naruto at his best, she thought silently.<br>"Kaisen himself will brief you on that on your way. The last place your target was seen was the wave country, by a bridge that was finished around six years ago." She looked directly at Naruto. "By any chance do you know why there is a bridge in the wave country that has your name? Naruto?"  
>the reappeared on his face "yeah, it was kinda named after me…" he noticed the looks on everyone's faces and decided to continue. "well, the bridge was soon to be finished as we were guarding it, but it was attacked by Zabuza and his student Haku… to cut the story short, Haku was killed by Kakashi sensei and Zabuza died after killing this evil business man… but I'd had an impact on the village, so they named it after me when we fought off Zabuza." Naruto really wanted to elaborate on the story, but now he wanted to go, he wanted to see Inari again.<br>"I'll have to read Kakashi's report, but Zabuza was a member of the seven Ninja swords of the mist, and your team were the ones who finished him? That should have been an A-rank mission… I want an explanation when you get back, but you're late as it is, Kaisen is waiting for you at the main gate." She said, her tone showing that the meeting was at an end, she was a little shocked when ~Naruto joined in the customary salute as they left. Was he finally growing up, she wondered? Maybe Hinata was having an affect on him.

Kaisen looked up. They were late. He didn't know who his teams were, but Tsunade had assured him they were reliable. He was starting to think that she was just giving him whoever was available. He wondered if Konoha's Shinobi were like they were when he was last here.  
>Though, he had to say, the nine-tails kid had impressed him. And the Hyuuga girl. They were both stronger than he'd expected, far stronger. He wondered about the Fox Kid, he seemed like a goof off, he seemed lazy, ignorant and rash. Tsunade had assured him that when Naruto was serious he was a completely different person. He could almost believe it considering the Chakra he had and his performance with that girl of his.<br>They were coming. They were around four hundred metres away, he looked up. This mission was going to be the hardest he'd ever faced. He had to eliminate a clan member. It was going to be physically and emotionally draining. The bastard could wield two of the three sword relics; it made him one of the deadliest ninja alive.  
>If things went wrong, none of these kids would be coming back alive.<br>They rushed out into the gateway and looked around, they couldn't see him. No one could, he was near invisible in the shadow. Two were even using the Byakugan, he wondered if they'd notice his aura even if the couldn't actually see him. He was disappointed, they couldn't, even Hiashi was more observant then these two. He sighed and stepped out of the shadows.

The whole team span on their heels as they heard the Klink of metal on stone. Many of them gasped when they saw him. He looked like some ancient warrior of myth, or a warrior-daemon. None of them had seen him, even Neji and Hinata, until he'd stepped out. He was significantly taller than all of them.  
>"let's go, I'll tell you more about the mission as we travel. We don't separate until we hit the Naruto Bridge, so I can fill you all in." the figure said. His voice was incredibly deep, it was also soft but at same time it had an edge. None of the Shiobi knew what to make of him.<br>The group started out, and Kaisen began to fill them in. he told them about the Kashu bloodline limit, and that they would be safe from the combat effects if the stayed in the sunlight. It was mainly a genjutsu technique that relied on the dark. He told them about the three swords, and that they were incredibly potent, he warned them that the largest of the swords was unnaturally fast and lent amazing feats of agility to its wielder, and the other that the target carried was one that controlled energy of any type, draining and giving as its master pleased. He told them it's weakness was that it couldn't affect anyone that wasn't afraid.  
>Then Naruto's curiosity overcame him again and he spoke out "so what can your sword do?" he asked.<br>The figure held his hands just above his hips, spread open apart from one thumb. "That, you don't need to know." The figure's voice was venomous, and dripped with Contempt.  
>Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. He knew immediately what the man had meant with his hand. Nine tails. Naruto dropped his pack and forced his chakra into his hand. There was no way he was letting that stand. He leptforward, his right hand leading with a Rasengan glowing brightly in his palm. The others tried to restrain him, but they were to slow to react.<br>Kaisen wasn't.  
>He span on his armoured heel and brought up his hand. The Rasengan smashed into it. The ball exploded with a massive amount of energy. Kaisen stood still, unharmed and immobile, not even phased by the powerful blast. Naruto, on the other hand, Cannoned into a tree as he was thrown away by the force of his own move.<br>"We're facing a man who will use your emotions against you, he's even more adept at it then I am. If that little hand signal upset you, I'm sorry, but he will not be afraid to manipulate you. If you cannot restrain yourself, you're a danger to everyone here." The armoured figure said; his voice back to its usual unemotional tone. "That's not just you, either, it's everyone here. The place easiest to strike is your mind, that's how he will attack you, guard yourself well."  
>The armoured figure walked on. The group looked at Naruto, then to the figure, and then back to Naruto. He could see it. The entire team was afraid.<p>

They stopped, Kaisen's armoured form turned to regard them.  
>"We stop here for the night. If he knows we're coming, it's too dangerous to travel in the dark." Kaisen dropped his pack and the others did the same. Naruto was furious, he wanted to speak up. The whole mission was dangerous, what was so bad about travelling at night? He chose to remain quite. He knew that Kaisen would either manipulate him or outwit him, there was little point in arguing.<br>"Set the tents up in a circle, all entrances facing the fire. If we're attacked in the night it will be by his familiars. They're defeated easily enough, but if they catch you sleeping that's it but they are terrified of fire. Only a direct order from our target would get them to go anywhere near it." Kaisen explained.  
>Naruto was helping Kiba set up one of the tents. The two shifted the enterance round to the area where the fire was.<br>"If I didn't know any better, Naruto, I'd say he scares you," Kiba said in a hushed whisper  
>"Well, you do. I'm not afraid of him, but we're after his clan member, he knows what he's doing." Naruto replied, his voice grating from between clenched teeth.<br>"Wow, did what he do really get at you that much? I didn't even understand it… though I'm guessing you're not going to tell me, considering you seem angrier than Akamaru when he's being brushed." Kiba said, very carful about his wording and voice. He still couldn't believe Naruto had tried a Rasengan when the victim had his back turned.  
>"No, it's something I'd rather keep private." Naruto sighed. He wished he could talk about it to someone, but he was afraid. The adults only wanted to know about the nine-tails if it was important, and he feared that if his friends knew about it they'd treat him like the rest of the village did. They'd treat him as a vile monster.<br>Kaisen spoke again. "Four tents. That's three in two tents, two in another and one in the last. I have no idea why you guys brought this many tents… anyways, Sakura sleeps alone, Naruto and Hinata can have one. Me and the rest of the men will take the other two." He declared, his voice still devoid of emotion.  
>Naruto's head snapped up, just finishing his tent, why had he been put with Hinata? Did EVERONE know? Naruto looked at the large figure. And the figure looked directly at him.<br>Truce?  
>The thought appeared directly in his head. The mask tilted to the side, awaiting an answer. Naruto nodded. The figure looked at the others.<br>"You guys start cooking and eating, I'm going to sleep, I'll be up in four hours to take watch for the rest of the night. It's up to you to decide who stays up till I'm awake." The armoured man slipped into the largest of the four tents.  
>Naruto looked at the others, only then did he notice that Hinata had feinted and Neji was looking at him with what could only be described as balefire in his eyes. Naruto gulped, he knew exactly what would happen if he tried anything. It put a real downer on the gift from Kaisen.<p>

It was Naruto and Hinata that took the watch until Kaisen woke up. They sat talking cheerfully to each other, like they had the night before. Then Hinata looked at him in the eyes, worried.  
>"N-N-Naruto-kun, what did Kaisen-Sama do to make you so angry?" her voice filled with concern and care.<br>"it's not something I really want to talk about, but it's one of the reasons that half the village look at me as if I were some creature that has no right to live." He said. He couldn't tell her, she'd leave him for sure and that would be more than he could take.  
>"Naruto… I-I-I want to know what's wrong. I've seen you angry before, but this time was different, you were trying to really hurt him even though he's vital to the mission. Not only that, but you also tried to hit him when his back was turned without any warning. I've never seen you that upset before. Please, Naruto, tell me what it is. You know I-I-I" Hinata took a breath, she was going to say it again. "I love you more than anything, I just want to help you."<br>Naruto looked at her eyes. They were Hiata's most attractive feature, they were pale lavender and full of care and love… something his life contained precious little else. He took a breath. In truth, Hinata had been the only person aside from his team and Kakashi to have ever cared for him, and she was the only person who had ever loved him. He owed her the truth if nothing else.  
>Even if it meant that he would lose her.<p>

Hinata looked into the eyes of the man she loved. It was the hardest thing she'd ever done. Tears were flowing freely down his whisker marked cheeks, and his beautiful azure blue eyes were filled with despair. It hurt her to see him like this. She had to help him, even if it hurt or it was scary she would help him. She'd seen how the villagers were to him, on occasion he'd been beaten for seemed to be no reason whatsoever, if she knew the reason for it, she might be able to at least comfort him. She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.  
>"Naruto, I will always love you, just let me be there for you." She said, her voice wavering. He hugged her fiercely, as if he seemed afraid to let go. He released her and took a breath.<br>"hinata, the sign he made represented nine-tails. That on it's own would not be offensive to anyone. The reason it got to me was… was… please dear god don't hate me like everyone else because of this… was that, the daemon that attacked Konoha seventeen years ago was only defeated because it was sealed away…" his voice dropped to a whisper "… it was sealed inside of me…"  
>Hinata held his gaze. Then she hugged him, clinging to him as tight as she could.<br>"I could never hate you Naruto, I love you. You had no choice where the thing was sealed, but even if it is inside you that doesn't stop you from being by far the kindest person I have ever met. You care for others; you stand up for what is right, so never believe for one second that the thing inside of you makes you less of a person. It doesn't, anyone that thinks it does is a fool." She said fiercely, still clinging to him, crying openly. So this is why he was treated so badly? Why could such evil exist in this world, where a person could be forsaken because he had been used to protect those who had forsaken him?  
>"Thank you, Hinata… I love you so much." Hinata didn't reply, she pulled him to her, and pushed her lips into his. She shivered with pleasure as their lips opened and their tongues began sliding together.<br>She hoped that her love could, in some way, make up for how he had been treated.

Kaisen opened his eyes. There had never been a need for him to sleep, so he'd remained awake. The only reason he was even resting instead of out on watch was that his mind occasionally needed time to rest, or he could begin developing a deep seated psychosis. That was the only reason anyone in his clan slept at all, to stop them from going mad.  
>He opened the tent flap. He peeked outside and looked at the two on watch. Hinata and Naruto. He smiled. It was a rare thing for his cold and dead heart to feel anything, but these two really were something, considering what he'd heard and that they were still in love.<br>He was tempted to remain silent, and let the two be with each other, but they needed some rest for tomorrow's journey.  
>"okay, you two," he whispered, still smiling. "I hate to interrupt, but it's time for me to take watch, and you two need some sleep." They nodded in unison and headed into their tent.<br>Kaisen sat down by the fire. Those two reminded him very much of his daughter and her love. In fact, Naruto also looked a lot like his daughter's lover, same blonde hair and same blue eyes. They had gone so well together, until he'd died fighting the daemon, and she'd been killed by Tzumaru.  
>One of the many crimes the traitor would pay for when they finally caught him.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**NaruHina part 4: Wake Up Call**

Naruto's eyes snapped open. He felt Hinata still nuzzled into his body. He liked the feeling, and shivered with pleasure. He felt good whenever he was with Hinata, it seemed right and he finally wasn't alone.  
>He struggled to get his head around one thought that nagged him still. She knew his secret, and she'd accepted it. She hadn't been repulsed or scared. She had shown no judgement or anger. She had simply accepted it and loved him as she had done for the past couple of days.<br>That brought his mind back to another seemingly impossible thing. Only a week ago had he even realised he'd liked Hinata and it was only two nights ago that they had first kissed, yet he felt so close to her already, and she seemed to feel the same about him. Were things like this supposed to go this fast?  
>He felt Hinata stirring. She was still only clad in a bra and underwear. He remembered the previous night, when they had entered the tent she had simply thrown off the clothes she was wearing and had begun to unfastened her bra, but at that point Naruto had stepped behind her and grabbed her hands.<br>He loved her, but he was sure that kind of thing came later on.  
>Though, he had begun kissing her thoroughly. But he was sure that was only natural. Though, he wasn't quite sure when his clothing had been reduced to underwear during their playing. But he didn't particularly care, his underwear had stayed on so it didn't matter. Naruto looked down at the peaceful face of the woman he loved, she was still sleeping. He marvelled at her beauty. He suddenly wished that he hadn't stopped her.<br>But, if he hadn't and if Neji had been watching with his Byakugan, Naruto would have been in some major trouble.  
>Hinata woke and stared up into his eyes. She was blushing slightly, not her old crimson face that she adopted when she was close to him. He defiantly thought that her pale pink blush was much more attractive. She smiled and started playing with his chest. He looked at her and grinned.<br>"Hey, that tickles," he whispered playfully.  
>"So did you kissing my neck last night, but I never complained," she giggled. The comment put a shade of pink on his cheeks. He really loved her. She started climbing on top of him and pinned his arms to the floor. "but now it's my turn." She started kissing him up and down the neck, very softly and with a high speed considering each kiss was place with more delicacy then he could at a slow deliberate pace.<br>It didn't tickle, he thought, but it felt nice. He grinned, he was surprised at how much confidence she had gained, it was a startling change. A thought crossed his mind, maybe that talk last night showed how much he loved her, god knows it was hard enough to say it. He wondered if any other woman would stay with her lover if they told them a daemon was sealed inside them. The answer to that question filled him with joy, Hinata was one of the truly beautiful people this world had to offer and she was his.  
>"Hinata…" he whispered. He got the reaction he wanted, she raised her head so their eyes were level. He kissed her, softly at first, just brushing her lips, then with more feeling. She lowered herself onto him so her weight completely resting on him, her arms wrapped around his neck and her tongue exploring his mouth. He thought that heaven had a tough score to beat when he got there.<p>

Kaisen fed some more logs into the fire. Nothing had come near the camp. He wondered what Tzumaru was doing, was it possible he didn't know he was being hunted, or was he too arrogant to admit that they might be a threat to him. Kaisen already knew the answer, it chilled him. He was waiting for them, waiting for a weakness that he could exploit to it's most devastating potential.  
>That's what made him dangerous, he knew exactly when, where and how to strike. It was his talent, his ultimate technique, to defeat the enemy long before the fighting begins. But it was also his weakness. He was vulnerable to chaos and things that were unpredictable. That's why Kaisen knew he would not be the one to avenge his daughter and wife. It would be someone from Konoha.<br>That was Kaisen's gift, his understanding. Knowing why things worked as they did, and how to manipulate the world so that things happened how he wanted them to. He sighed, now it was a test of which gift truly had the upper hand.  
>He sighed and thought of the last time he'd seen Tzumaru. He had been defeated, Tzumaru had gloated over it. He remembered his sharp pale face and his red eyes that glittered with his insanity. His mind had warped his body, his armour became a twisted parody of that traditionally worn by the Kashu clan. He had simply walked away, saying that what was to come was far more interesting than killing him.<br>It was all a game to him, he ruined lives with as much emotion as it took to swat a fly. It made Kaisen sick, that his clan had spawned such a monster, Even the Kyuubi inside Naruto failed to match his evil. He remembered the armour, had had become a deep, bloody crimson trimmed with gold, horns protruding from his chest and unspeakable evil engraved on his armour. He wondered if the rest of the team could look at him without losing their minds.  
>He looked up. The Kashu clan's future hung in the balance. The only one that could save it was a love struck blonde ninja.<p>

Sakura stepped out of her tent, and found that almost everyone was up. Kaisen was just finishing the cooking. Sakura smiled, whatever he'd made for breakfast smelt real good. Neji and Hinata were training, as were Lee and Naruto. It looked like naruto was finally catching up to Lee, though Lee still had his weights on. Naruto wouldn't stand a chance with Taijutsu if Lee took them off or started opening his chakra gates.  
>Hinata and Neji were on equal footing, it even seemed as if Hinata was stronger than Neji. She looked at Hinata and was shocked by what she saw. Hinata wasn't actually paying any attention to Neji, her Byakugan was fixed squared Naruto. She was smiling, her hands fending off any and all of Neji's blows but her distraction meant that none of hers had what was needed to hit home.<br>Sakura sat down, Kiba and Akamaru both looking longingly at some of the meat cooking on the fire, their noses twitching. Akamaru's tail was swishing happily; Sakura thought that, if he had a tail, Kiba would be doing exactly the same. Shino sat, watching the butterflies and other insects perform an aerial dance for him, with mild interest. Shikamaru, true to style, was still in bed and probably still dreaming of being a cloud.  
>Sakura took a seat next to Kiba. She looked at his face and giggled. He'd almost make the perfect pet and she had become close to Kiba over the years, he strangly shared some of Naruto's virtues but just more mature. He was handsome, loyal and caring. He also looked absolutely adorable when he and Akamaru played in long grass, though, so did Akamaru.<br>He looked at her and smiled  
>"Looks as if I'm not the only one who can't wait for food," he laughed. Akamaru growled in an almost playful manner, "Ok, we're not the only ones,"<br>Sakura laughed "I always thought you guys counted as one, you two are inseparable." He looked into his face, the two red streaks down his face still confused her, she'd been meaning to ask why ever member of his clan had them but she never got around to it. Today was no exception.  
>Neji suddenly impacted on a tree. Everyone save Kaisen whirled to see what'd happened. Hinata rushed to Neji's side and Sakura readied herself in case it was serious. She hoped it wasn't. Hinata was stumbling apologies, but Neji silenced her with his finger.<br>"I apologise Hinata-Sama, I was irritated the you were not paying attention to our sparring." He said, his voice lending truth to his words.  
>"S-still, I shouldn't have done that, N-N-Neji-Nii-San, I'm sorry." She said, her voice sounded feeble as she said it. Sakura wondered if it was sincere, and what Neji had done to trigger such a violent response from his usually peaceful cousin.<p>

Naruto had seen it all. He took his eyes off of his fight for a split second, Hinata had been staring at him as Neji said something, he didn't know what but it had really upset Hinata. She had simply abandoned her clan fighting style and launched a deadly fast punch against Neji's chest and he cannoned into the tree behind him.  
>Naruto thought himself lucky, Neji's impact had distracted Lee. Naruto could have ended up worse than Neji, Lee lacked Hinata's skill but his physically strength exceeded almost everyone. The exceptions being Kaisen and Sakura. Naruto suddenly felt slightly sorry for their enemies.<br>Everyone began to turn away from the incident, and Naruto turned back to Lee.  
>"I think I've had enough, Fuzzy-brows. Thanks for sparring though, I appreciate it." He said with his customary grin.<br>"No problem, Naruto-Kun, it's always good to have a friend to help you train and enjoy the spring of youth with." Lee said, bowing. For all of Fuzzy-brow's good points, anytime the talk involved 'the spring of youth' or any of the things he'd copied off of his sensei made him almost ashamed to train with him. "That food Kaisen-Sama is preparing smell too good to be true," the tall enthusiast exclaimed.  
>As if on cue, Kaisen announced that the food was being served. Naruto nearly ran to be in line, but there was no way he could have beaten Kiba and Akamaru to the food. There was also no way he was contesting Sakura's place, her punches scared him too much for that, the place behind her was fair game though. He got there just before anyone else. He looked back to see Hinata taking place behind him.<br>Why Her? He thought. Off all people, why her?  
>He stepped aside, letting Hinata closer to the front. He was a little irritable about losing his place, but the grateful smile he got from his love made his knees shake and dissipated any irritation he might have had.<br>He checked behind him again. It was Neji, the balefire still in his eyes. Naruto turned his view forward again. He could still feel Neji's eyes burning into the back of his head, but it was much better than holding his gaze. Why was Neji so furious with him? He hadn't done anything to deserve such scrutiny. the queue passed soon enough, he grabbed a bowl of the soup, a small steak and some bread and headed to where Hinata was sitting and took a seat beside her.

Lee took his seat beside Neji and looked at him. He was glaring at Naruto and his cousin. Lee sighed, he hoped what Neji was doing was simply being over protective about his cousin, it was obvious that she meant a lot to him. that he was probably the only person in his clan to really care for her almost certainly amplified his reasons for being so protective.  
>Lee, however, thought that there could be another reason for the glare. It had hatred in it. It would not come as a surprise to Lee if Neji hated Naruto for having come from being a drop out to being one of the most potent Ninja in Konoha, but at the back of his mind a thought nagged at him.<br>The thought of some of the Hyuuga clan's ways to protect the Byakugan.  
>Lee sincerely hoped that the hatred in his team mate's eyes did not spawn from jealousy.<p>

Naruto gasped. It was nearly possible that Kaisen's soup matched Ichiraku's Ramen. Though only nearly. He stuffed down his food, enjoying every split second of taste. He tore into the steak with the same viciousness that Akamaru had, it was perfectly seasoned. It's sticky coating was something Naruto had never tasted, but reminded him of honey but that had been spiced with all sorts of herbs.  
>The food was gone in not time. The only one's to finish their food was Kiba and Akamaru. They slouched, obviously bloated. Naruto could see what they were going through, he himself had a legendary appetite and even he felt full. Kaisen was one of the best cooks he'd ever met.<br>He still wondered about Kaisen. The man changed as fast as the wind. At first Naruto had reserved judgement, then he had hated him after the Kyuubi insult he'd made even if it had only been a lesson in the enemies strength. Then he'd come to like him slightly when he'd allowed him to sleep in the same tent as Hinata. Then he'd relieved them of watch. At that point, he'd seemed almost human; his voice had changed into something of comfort even if his face was hidden by his Dragon ANBU mask.

Kaisen looked up at the sky. It'd been two hours since they had packed up and left last night's camp. Today they should reach the halfway point, and then move on to a small city where they could rest and re-supply anything which was needed. They weren't especially low on food and they could always hunt and forage, but having supplies handy just in case was probably a good idea.  
>he wondered about his team. He was wondering about their strength. Naruto was impressive, nothing compared to himself or the target, but impressive none the less. He'd witnessed Hinata and Neji's sparring, it'd been something to marvel at; their speed was amazing and their precision was pinpoint. Lee couldn't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, he'd picked that up from evesdropping, it only left his Taijutsu, at which he was above and beyond the others aside from Hinata, who he'd been shocked at the moment she'd hurled her cousin into a tree as her chakra swelled into enormity and concentrated into her fist.<br>They others he'd seen nothing of, but he knew the tactics of their clans and therefore what their strengths was. He was particularly expectant of the bug user Shino, his clan was truly something to be feared and only they had ever been a threat to Kaisen outside of his own clan. The only member of the team he didn't really know about was the medic, that rank alone showed that she would be essential but he wondered what she could actually do in combat. He was tempted to drop back and ask her, but couldn't find any words that could make his question polite.  
>So he decided he'd ask someone else.<br>Someone who was hard to offend.  
>He dropped back. He'd ordered a set formation as they left the camp and came closer to their destination. The group was split into three, Kiba and Neji taking point while Hinata and Shino acted as a rearguard. He'd been nearer the front as a power attack in case of a frontal assault, Naruto near the back for the same purpose of a ambush was sprung. The others had no set place.<br>He drew level with Hinata and looked at her. He seemed to be on good terms with her after letting her sleep in the same tent as Naruto and she also seemed quite hard to offend, though he would have to step carefully, she had a vulnerable spot which he didn't know about and he hoped he wouldn't hit it.  
>"Hinata, I've been thinking about the team and the abilities of its members. More precisely, what they can do in combat. I know that Sakura is a medical ninja, but I want to know what she can do on the offensive it she needs to." He explained carefully. He was relieved that there was no change in her facial expression, he'd avoided that hidden vulnerability.<br>"W-well, Kaisen-Sama…" she started tentatively "Sakura is… very strong, physically. I've seen her demolish boulders with a single strike. She's also fairly good with genjutsu, though I've never seen her actually do anything other than recognise and dispel other genjutsu."  
>"Thank you Hinata, the matter was bothering me," he felt something on the edge of his senses. It faded nearly immediately, but he got a sense of its direction, it was ahead of them. He powered forward, his legs throwing him forward as fast as possible. Within next to no time he was level with Neji. The terrain around them was lightly wooded foot hills, but his sense had discerned that the danger was still quite far away.<br>"Neji, what's up ahead?" he asked, putting a small amount of urgency into his voice.  
>It wasn't Neji that answered.<br>"There's a gorge if you're talking about long range. There are some people in it. I didn't get a good enough look to say much, but they're waiting for someone and they're armed" Kaisen looked at the speaker. It was Naruto.  
>"How do you know that?" Kaisen, Neji and Kiba all asked simultaneously, all obviously shocked at the orange clad ninja.<br>"Well…" he started, grinning "I know that Kiba's sense of smell is no good if the enemy hasn't been here already and Neji's byakugan is awesome for short range, but I figured that it might be better if we had a little more warning before an attack. Especially if we consider the calibre of our opponents, so I sent two clones ahead at full speed. they got to the gorge before they were attacked. It's about a mile ahead."  
>"Where were they in the gorge?" Kaisen asked, his mind already plotting.<br>"Two up on ridges, one on the gorge floor." Naruto replied, looking slightly confused.  
>"We stop here to plan." Kaisen said his voice commanding total obedience from the three ninja.<p>

The entire team stood still, gathered as they were to receive their orders from Kaisen. Hinata wondered what had happened, she was soon to find out as the large man spoke.  
>"there's a gorge about a mile ahead. It's the only passable way through the mountains that we have to go through. It's a perfect ambush site, and it seems that we aren't the only ones who know that. Naruto scouted it with clones and they were attacked. it could be random, but we can't rule out the possibility that they're waiting for us. According to Naruto they are armed like ninja."<br>Hinata looked at the team leader, she couldn't see his face, and she already knew the Byakugan could only see his feint aura of chakra and nothing more. She wondered what he was thinking. She was also slightly proud that it was her love that had found the ambush, if that's what it was.  
>"So we can't rule out that its our targets henchmen." He continued, "If it is, chances are that they are jounin level. So we need a plan. And I would like to hear your opinion, Shikamaru?" Hinata wondered how much he knew about them already, as far as she knew no-one had mentioned the fact that shikamaru was the single best strategist Konoha had to offer but he'd asked him immediately instead of any of the other ninja present. She could see that Shikamaru realised this too.<br>"well… if it is our enemy, there are a few things that need thinking about. Firstly, they're hiding something or they are above jounin level. Even three jounin aren't going to match a group of eight who are composed of both chuunin and jounin ninja as well as a ninja who is far above either. With that in mind, we can't be sure of their techniques or how they work. If we had the time, I'd suggest going around, but I guess that's out of the question…"  
>"…we use numbers." He told them flatly "Kaisen takes one, and two balanced groups take the other two…" he looked at Naruto "you're sure there's only three?"<br>"that's all I saw." He said mildly.  
>"then, the two teams decided at the beginning changes. Shino, Sakura, Naruto and Neji take one. Me, Hinata, Kiba and Lee will take the other" he said, apparently happy with his plan.<br>But Kaisen wasn't.  
>"You're right about them hiding something Shikamaru. Naruto, what did the ninja at the bottom look like?" he said, his volume conveying what Hinata recognised at worry.<br>Naruto looked at him, his face contorting as he tried to remember what his clone had seen. "he wore a horrible green robe, that's all I can remember."  
>"What of the other two?"<br>"Again, only robe colours, blue and red."  
>Kaisen nodded as if that's what he'd expected. He looked at them all, measuring them. "Using numbers won't work. Naruto has to take the one in the middle; he's the only one here who can do it."<br>Hinata looked at him. Why Naruto? Why alone? What could this guy be that Naruto could defeat him when Kaisen could not? Why had her love been chosen to go against him?  
>Kasien continued. "The one on the floor is Plague Shinobi. If anyone even gets near him, they'll catch something. Not even Shino's bugs could face that monstrosity. Naruto is the only one immune to disease and the only one who heals fast, and therefore the only one that could avoid damage."<br>She stared at Kaisen. She didn't know what to do, how she could help Naruto. He might be tough, but alone against a monster like that. Thoughts of him, his flesh diseased and rotting filled her mind. She had to do something.  
>"I'll not let him go alone," she said, hoping feverently that Kaisen and Shikamaru could come up with a different plan.<br>"There's nothing you can do."  
>Hinata's head snapped up, the voice wasn't Kaisen, with his voice of reprisal and rebuke. The voice was soft and caring, a voice that she recognised to be that of the man who she would defend with her life if it came to it. The voice belonged to Naruto.<p>

"Hinata, I will do this alone." He continued, not looking at her. He didn't think he could bear to look into her beautiful lavender eyes to see the worry and sadness that lurked there. "I won't let you get hurt by someone that only I can defeat. That would be worse than anything he could be capable of."  
>Naruto realised what was happening to him. it'd happened all to often when he was younger. He was slowly filling with rage. The thought of Hinata being in danger was like a drug. Not one that caused pleasure or dulled pain, but one that drove his mind into a burning fury. No one would EVER hurt her while he drew breath.<br>"Well said," Kaisen interrupted his thoughts. "Not only that, but you are needed for a different job Hinata. The one that wears a blue robe is a master of traps and genjutsu, so you and Neji will go against him. As will Sakura. Everyone else will take the remaining ninja, but be prepared… he excels in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. He is an engine of destruction, a perfect offset to the other two. Only one thing remains to be said, keep them apart and immobile. Chances are there is a trap for Naruto."  
>He looked at them. There was one he hadn't mentioned, the last of the four, the one Naruto hadn't seen. He looked at them all. Everyone was ready and only Hinata showed any signs of doubt. She had no idea how much he sympathised with her.<p>

But this was necessary.

**NaruHina part 5: the four pillars of destruction; War, Decay, Change and Corruption.**

Lee was excited. It would be his first fight in a while, and it was against a high calibre opponent. His only disappointment was that it was to be a group effort. Himself, Shikamaru, Kiba, Akamaru and Shino were to take him down together. Lee fought down another wave of excitement, a taijutsu opponent. Lee wondered if he could match him one on one.  
>He looked over to Shino, who had laid out their plan of attack on this target. Lee was to run distraction while Shikamaru used his shadow imitation. Shino would then use his bugs to drain the opponents chakra until he was sufficiently weakened for Kiba and Akamaru's double fang technique.<br>Lee had asked why the plan incorporated everyone when it would only take a combination of two. He remembered Shino's voice well after he'd heard the reason, that was Shino's scariest aspect, his voice. Though the threat of the chakra eating bugs that used his body as their home was also fairly scary.  
>Lee looked up; the gorge wasn't far ahead now. When they got there they were to wait until the other three groups were ready. Kaisen had warned them that the greatest threat was the three to unite. What Lee wondered was what Kaisen was going to be doing, considering he alone was the fourth group and there were only three enemies.<p>

Naruto looked ahead. It was him, three hundred meters away. The plague ninja. He slowed to a walk. His comrades were already moving against the others, to keep them away from him. he was the only one against this guy.  
>"So, I guess this means that you alone are my opponent boy," the green garbed figure said as it began to limp forwards. Naruto looked closely, the man had a lot of boils deforming his face and his left eye looked cloudy and blind. It left him to wonder what his techniques were, they had to be good to make up for what his plagues had done to him.<br>he wasn't going to waste any time talking to him.  
>Naruto sprang forwards, separating into his clones as he did so. Each one took out a single Kunai and wrapped and exploding seal around it. They began to circle his opponent. The green robed figure only laughed as Naruto surrounded him. Green gas began to leak from the lice-ridden man. Naruto chuckled as each of his clones launched themselves into the air and released all of their Kunai.<br>Each and every one hit. Naruto saw a brief vision of the figure, still laughing as the throwing knives punched into him. then they all exploded, and he dispelled the clones. To Naruto, the smoke seemed to take forever to clear but when it did he suddenly thought that he wished it'd taken longer.  
>Pieces of the body lay everywhere and each piece was either mouldy, rotting or cancerous. The worst thing was that it was all making its way rapidly back to where the man had stood. Naruto watched, horrified as his body began rebuilding rapidly until he stood once more, whole and unharmed with green gas still flowing from his body and becoming more and more pronounced in the gorge.<br>"I'm surprised you're still alive boy… this gas is full of some of the most virulent and deadly illnesses, yet you seem to be fine. I wonder what protects you from my malignant attacks. Oh well, you will die anyway." The figure hissed as it drew back.  
>Naruto leapt up into the air. How was he going to kill this thing? It'd repaired itself from the ground up from total annihilation. How? Nothing should have survived his attack.<br>Then it spoke, the voice in his head, the daemon inside him. The Kyuubi, the nine-tails. –his chakra is separate from his body, brat, that's how he survived. It's also how he survives all of those diseases himself… he's an interesting one. Oh, and if you don't hurry up and finish him, I'll do it for you.- the kyuubi left words to linger in Naruto's mind.  
>-Like hell you will daemon,- he sent his thought back. The thing fell silent.<br>Naruto thought about his next attack. If he'd learnt anything over the years, it was that chakra could only be hurt by chakra, the Hyuuga clan were one of many examples of this, using their chakra to damage their opponents chakra system.  
>"You think too much boy." The figure said its hand swelling like some massive tumour. Naruto looked on in disgust, slimy and diseased tendrils burst through the tumour and began failing. They shot towards Naruto.<br>He got out of the way just in time. But the things stared to some around, gaining speed as they came. Naruto leapt up and gathered his chakra into his hand. He went through the now easy process of spinning the chakra one way and then another, forming it into a perfect sphere. It was ready not a moment to soon. The things caught up to him and one wrapped around his ankle, he severed it with the glowing Rasengan in his hand. The green cloaked figure hissed in pain, as if stung. Naruto smiled.  
>It was working.<br>-Told you, brat-  
>-Shut up-<br>The figure drew the tendrils back for another strike. Naruto didn't give him a chance. He powered more chakra into his hand and built it up behind the rasengan. Then he let it explode. It hurt, it always did, but the result was worth it. The Rasengan, still formed perfectly and whirling as fast as ever, shot from his hand and covered the distance between him and his target in an instant. The burning ball buried itself in the plague ninja's chest and detonated.  
>The Uzumaki Rasengan, his own creation and one of his only ranged attacks.<br>The figure flew apart, leaving only his legs and waist. Naruto found it hard to see, the gren gas now acting like a smoke bomb as well as a catalyst for contagion. Still, he could hear it, the sickening tearing sound of diseased flesh creeping back to its master. He saw the outline of the figure rise.  
>"That hurt boy… now I'm angry." It hissed in a dry voice. Naruto saw two figures flash forwards. As they attacked he jumped back, they only missed him by inches.<br>Their stood and regarded him, their rotting flesh peeling off and revealing bone and the skeletons deformed by huge growths. The tendrils that had harried him earlier protruding from the swollen fists. They had no eyes, but moved with an unnaturally sure footing that suggested they could see fine in the thick green haze.  
>Naruto resisted the urge to throw up. It was getting to him. the sick smell of puss, urine and mould. The gagging feeling in his throat as he inhaled. The sight of deformed monstrosities. The feel of slime and residue the haze was leaving on his face.<br>He doubled over and hurled his breakfast onto the floor until it was all gone. He tried to stop, but he couldn't, even when he felt the greasy, rotting tendrils begin to constrict around his arms and legs. It was too much. He was going to die. There was no way out this time, no one to save him. His thoughts drifted to Hinata, he would never see her again. He thought of her beautiful lavender eyes and closed his own. He wished he'd had more time with her…

Lee charged in. his foe was titanic, truly worthy of his skill and strength. He wore a red robe and stood as tall as Kaisen. The man's arms were like gnarled trees with massive knots of muscle shifting under his skin. His face was covered with scars and his head was covered with reddish dreadlocks. He looked like he'd spent lifetimes fighting bears, wolves and any other predator he could think of. In fact, the scars made him look more akin to a beast then man.  
>Lee started his combo. He'd removed his weights earlier, knowing this would be a tough fight and his friends were relying on him to keep this giants attention. His leg came up faster than most men, including other ninja, could see.<br>It never landed.  
>The titan's hand caught his leg. Lee gasped, only once before had his Konoha hurricane technique been stopped but that had been by an interception rather than a block, this titan had simply caught him. His other leg came up, smashing the brute in the side of the head. This time it'd hit.<br>And left no damage at all.  
>The beast simply smile, and chuckled, an evil, booming sound.<br>"You truly expect to beat me with THAT?" he laughed manically, throwing Lee away from him. Lee smashed into the tree and felt several ribs was overcome; he'd failed to even hold his attention, let alone been able to beat him. He got back up and glared at him.  
>"I will not be beaten so easily." He shouted, unleashing two of his eight chakra gates. He felt the power flow through him. he ran in a circle around his opponent before the titan knew he'd moved. He kicked him several times in the back, each casing the man to wince.<br>Lee flipped over the brute's head and brought his foot down onto his head. It bounced off as if it'd been the punch of a normal man. Lee decided his head defiantly wasn't the best place to attack, and launched a punch at the man's chest.  
>It was caught.<br>"You think you're the only one that can open Chakra gates? Die scum." The thing brought it hand up into his chest. It was open palm, Juuken, the Hyuuga family style. It impacted, the strength breaking the rest of his ribs and the Chakra from the Juuken smashing his internal organs. He felt his heart stutter, he could taste something metallic in his mouth.  
>Before he fell, he saw one sight that made him smile. The shadow leading to Shikamaru. He had done it.<br>Then he was overcome by his wounds.

Neji looked around. Everyone was in position, and beginning to advance. He signalled for his group to do the same. The blue robed figure was just ahead. He made straight for him. he hit him square in the chakra well and sealed it.  
>The blue robed man disappeared in a puff of chakra. It'd been a shadow clone. Neji span on his heel, there were at least a hundred of the clones surrounding him. he cursed, he'd fallen for it. He looked around for Hinata and Sakura, they were nowhere to be seen. Where are they? He thought, they'd been right behind him.<br>Then he realised what was happening and the warning he'd been given. His opponent was a Genjutsu and trap user. This was an illusion. He took out his kunai and pushed it slowly into his leg. The illusion sputtered and died. He was stood on the edge of the gorge, there was very little left of it compared to what there had been in the illusion. He was grateful he hadn't fallen to where Naruto was fighting the Plague Ninja, broken bones and disease weren't the nicest of ways to go.  
>Sakura and Hinata where also close to falling off of the cliff. He sprang forward and shoved his cousin back into safety and turned to grab Sakura.<br>He was shocked to see that she'd freed herself as he'd grabbed Hinata. he never knew she had any talent with genjutsu. Neji let his cousin lay on the ground as he activated his byakugan. He was not far, sat in a circle of bushes. What on earth was the man thinking? Neji couldn't believe he was just sitting there.  
>"Neji, where is he?" he heard Sarkura ask.<br>He pointed "that way, sitting in a bush, looking directly at us." He declared with disgust.  
>"Then we'd best be careful, in my experience, trap users are very difficult to deal with." The words hit Neji. Of course, he'd set up traps. Neji shook his head, now disgusted with himself rather than the blue robed man. He remembered what he looked like.<br>The man was old, very old, and withered. There was no way he could match any of the three in close quarters. But he was a trap user and had used his genjutsu to buy himself time as well as possibly eliminate one or two opponents. Clever bastard, that simple plan he nearly worked.  
>"letting me get away was you're last mistake, Hyuuga Boy" he heard from behind him. it was an illusion, he could see right through it. He was safe.<br>And then the cliff detonated.

Kaisen sat watching the battle intently. Lee was down, Naruto was in trouble and Neji, Hinata and Sakura were falling into the Plague mist technique. No matter how much he wanted to fight and destroy the Ninja of Forbidden Secrets, he could no longer wait. He had to do something. He quickly formed the seals that activated his shadow flicker technique.  
>He stepped into the shadow of the tree next to him and appeared on the underside of a falling boulder. He scrambled onto the top side of it and leapt up to Neji and Sakura, grabbing them both and then jetting up to the top of the gorge. He looked down; there was no sign of her. He cursed. He hoped that somehow she'd survive.<br>He looked down at the ground and planted the two on it. Neji immediately activated his byakugan, presumably looking for his cousin. A look of worry crossed his face but was soon replaced with relief. He pointed into the forest.  
>"She's in there." He said simply, smiling. Kaisen looked at him. he was putting a brave face on, those explosives were something that Kaisen took care to avoid at all cost, they sapped chakra and left their victims drained. He hoped it hadn't drained Sakura too much.<br>"All right Neji, I'll leave this to you and Hinata, Sakura, grab hold of me, you're needed over the other side," He said. Sakura jogged over to him and grabbed onto his wrist. He seized her arm and launched himself into the canyon, and as the shadow covered him, he used the shadow flicker once more.

Hinata looked through the bushes with the Byakugan. All of the enemies traps were infused with Chakra, she could see each and every one of them. She still hung back, he could have laid some more that didn't use Chakra. She crept forward, taking care to stay silent and avoid the trip wires.  
>A twig snapped under her hand and a Kunai flew from the leaves. She slapped it aside with her hand and launched into the tree. She landed on one of the upper branches of the trees. The thick bough of the fir tree supported her. That was her advantage, she'd been raised and trained in a forest. She was at home picked a Kunai out of her pocket and hurled it at the wall of trip wires between her and her target. It hit and exploded, disintegrating the tripwires. She quickly prepared an hurled another, it hit and detonated. Her target lay in pieces.<br>Until it disappeared.  
>And its voice came from behind.<br>"I'm shocked you got so far, girl, but now you're mine." She tried to turn to face her opponent but she couldn't. wire held her fast, looped around her arms, legs and body. "You've fallen for it. You'll not escape me, and neither will that pathetic excuse for a ninja that is still standing. After that, the rest of your team will follow."  
>The old man disappeared in a puff of chakra.<br>"damn it,"

Naruto looked into their empty eye sockets. Suddenly it welled up inside him, each thought of Hinata became fuel for it. It fed and consumed. The rage the boiled in his blood. The rage that often possessed him when it gave him its power.  
>-looks like you need me again brat. Now its my turn- the nine tailed fox whispered to him.<br>-Kill it, and the other two. Do what you want to them.- he replied.  
>-you've no idea what that means- it chuckled, then there was no more talk, only terrible violence.<br>Red chakra burst from his body in torrents, flowing like boiling magma and burning into the creatures holding him tight. It consumed them whole, leaving no remains. Naruto felt his body charge forward. He had no control whatsoever, it had his body. He didn't care, it'd get him and his team out safe.  
>The fox used his replication technique, forming a dome of copies stacked one on top of the other, each sporting the same red chakra and the same insane eyes. The plague ninja whirled around, hoping to find an escape. The fox had left none.<p>

Bubone whirled. There was no way out. The boy had him surrounded, and intended not only to kill him, but annihilated him completely and leave nothing, just as he had done to the plague zombies. Bubone considered his options, they were pitifully few. They were reduced to one as he realised what was happening.  
>Each of the copies were forcing massive amounts of chakra into their hands, more than double what the boy had earlier, and their were at least a hundred of them. There was no escape for him now, he realised, no technique I have that can block that and if it hits, there really will be nothing left.<br>Each of the copies but their hands forward and growled.  
>"Uzumaki Rasengan!"<p>

Kaisen appeared on the other side of the gorge, under the shadow of a pine tree. He released Sakura's arm, she was visibly shaken by his obscure method of transport. He pointed over to Lee. She gasped and ran to him.  
>Maybe the 'Pillar of War' was too much for them. It certainly looked like it from the glimpse of the battle that he'd got. Then he realised the true situation. Shikamaru had him with the shadow imitation, Shnio's bugs were swarming towards him and Akamaru and Kiba were just preparing to merge. Maybe they had him.<br>Or maybe not.  
>He broke loose. His Chakra and physical strength overpowered Shikamaru. Shino's bug swarmed over him. They were hurting him, but not enough considering he had two chakra gates open. The first blow was too fast for most to follow, but Kaisen saw it, its impact and its result which left Shino bleeding and unconscious. The second caught Shikamaru in the back, sending him upwards at astonishing speed.<br>He aimed another punch for Kiba and Akamaru, who were now one large double headed wolf. It would have hit, had it been launched.  
>It took him a while to realise. Kaisen smiled. He had hold of the monsters arms<br>"Kiba, now!" he bellowed. Kiba and Akamaru needed no further prompting after seeing the damage that had been done to their friends. They bounded forwards, beginning their fatal spin. The flew forward at an amazing rate and smashed into the monster. Kaisen kept hold of him until the technique was halfway through the enemy. Then he Shadow flickered to safety again.  
>He saw the pillar of war die, screaming in pain and fury, his body ripped to shreds. Kaisen thanked whatever deity wanted to take credit that he'd not used his ninjutsu, or there would have been precious little of his team alive.<br>An explosion sounded from the gorge. Kaisen smiled, only two of the pillars of destruction left.

Neji looked up. The old man was walking towards him. the bastard was grinning. Neji forced himself to his feet. He had little chakra left, but he wasn't going to lose to an old man. He would not bring shame to his clan by losing to such an opponent. The figure laughed at him.  
>"you don't think you can do anything like that, do you?" the blue robed man, blue eyes twinkling with evil mischief in his wrinkled face. He casually tossed wires that wrapped themselves around Neji.<br>Neji had tried to avoid them, but he was too slow, too weak. Those damn explosives had drained him of his Chakra, he had nothing left to fight with. The wires began draining more out of him. before he fell into darkness, he witnessed something he would never forget.  
>A red blur passed the old man, decapitating him as it went. He saw the figure lift the severed head and let blood pour into his mouth. Neji had seen more gruesome sights, but this shocked him to the core.<br>It was Naruto, four red glowing tails surrounding him as he drank.

Hinata saw him. She tried not to look. She couldn't believe what he was doing, not him, of all people. He'd killed him without any hesitation or remorse, and began drinking the fallen ninja's blood before casting the drained skull away. Tears rolled down her face. What had happened? How had he changed into this monster?  
>She remembered, she already knew. He wasn't the monster, the monster was inside him. The Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox. It'd haunted him for so long, and now it was loose. She could see it with her byakugan. It horrified her. She could see it's Chakra, red and disgusting. She wondered how her love could live with such a thing inside him.<br>Perhaps, she wondered, living with such a burden had made him into the man he was. The kind, protective warrior who stopped at nothing to protect those close to him and help even strangers in their hour of need.  
>She looked at him, longing for him to regain control. She wasn't sure he could but, in fact, the only thing she knew for certain was that she could do nothing while she was stuck here. She quickly began working on her escape, it would take a while, but she couldn't just sit there and watch him like this.<p>

Kaisen saw Naruto perform his gruesome work from across the canyon. Three of the pillars of destruction; War, Decay and Change were dead, mauled either by Naruto or himself, Kiba and Akamaru. Only one of the four remained. The last of Tzumaru's apprentices remained, the pillar of Corruption. Tzumaru's favourite and the most deadly of the four.  
>Kaisen wondered if he would come out of hiding after seeing his subordinates killed.<br>But he knew the answer, even before pink and gold armoured woman materialised out of thin air, floating in the middle of the gorge.  
>"Kashu Kaisen, its been a while. I'm surprised your little team defeated the others, but I'm not like them. Not even you can defeat me." She said. Her voice was the same as before. Even in his condition he felt something stir in his heart. Her voice was like a harp that drew men and women to her and filled their thoughts with desires that they had harboured, hidden away in the dark places of their minds.<br>"you will be surprised, whore. Your tricks won't deceive me this time, and your lackeys are not here to help you anymore." He spoke, his voice level and dangerous.  
>"well, even if you have somehow mastered a resistance, your team hasn't." she laughed, indicating the awed faces of the conscious members of his team. He knew what had happened, her genjutsu was almost unrivalled. She gave the victim all of the deepest desires and made them feel so real that the victim, while they could escape, never wanted to.<br>He heard a familiar voice behind him. she spoke softly, asking him to stop fighting, to let go and give in. his memories bubbled into his consciousness, the time he'd spent with her all those years ago. Her beauty had even survived her aging, an astonishing feat. He let out a sigh, she was dead now, this was an illusion. Even considering all that had happened, the thought of his dead wife still pained him.  
>He felt one of his oldest weapons returning with that pain. An undying hatred of his foe, and wanting to rend them apart with nothing more than his bare hands.<br>He drew his sword and made a few practise swings.  
>"I told you it won't work on me. Your talents aren't as great as you made out, bitch." He said, the venom in his voice wasn't fake this time, it was pure and undiluted. She gave him a glare of pure evil. He began to cackle madly. He spoke once more.<p>

"Behind you…"

**Naruhina Fanfic part six: Bloodline of the Shadow Dragon**

"Die," he hissed through the clenched teeth of his host. He wasn't let out often, he was thoroughly enjoying it. The taste of fresh blood still lingered in his mouth from the old man that had tried to hurt the brat's mate and her clan member. It was glorious.  
>Of course, that old geezer's blood would be nothing compared to that of the youthful woman in front of him. he swiped with his claws, only to see his prey disappear. Damn it, he thought, she was fast. A laugh sounded from behind him and a small pain stabbed his shoulder.<br>He looked to his left, an elegant, slender blade protruded from his shoulder. The bitch had actually managed to get him. He tore himself away from her blade and turned to face her. He looked at her closely. She was a strange one indeed, she fitted right into what human's considered attractive and her armour somehow enhanced that. Her movements were filled with a grace he'd expect from an ageless daemon, such as himself. what he found strangest of all, was that the woman had an effect, even if it was only miniscule, on him.  
>He snarled, he hated her. He would NEVER bow to such a pathetic, human weakness. He charged her, the wound she'd just caused already healed. He slashed repeatedly at the wench, but each and every swipe made contact with empty air. He growled with fury.<br>He would kill this whore that was certain  
>He backed away and began forming seals. He'd learnt long ago from his host that sometimes raw power wasn't enough. This was one of those rare occasions where that was true. Suddenly eight clones appeared to either side of him. they launched their assault at the same time.<br>He chuckled as he launched himself forward. He had infused each clone with enough chakra to make sure each and every one could take at least three hit, unless one touched the heart or decapitated them. The flurry of blows rushed forwards.  
>She disappeared again, still smiling.<br>"come back, you worthless, ugly excuse for a human!" he howled. It got her attention.  
>Five of his clones died before he realised what was happening. He prudently drew up his guard and waited. He didn't know how she was so fast, nothing mortal should be able to move like that. She had to have a weakness.<br>The rest of his clones died. She appeared in front of him, her face a bestial mask of fury. He laughed; he'd managed to really offend her with that last insult. Her blade plunged through him again and again, releasing a torrent that no mortal could take.  
>But he wasn't mortal.<br>Each thrust left a wound that healed the instant the blade left him. Any damage, critical or otherwise, healed before the next blow landed. Her torrent left no mark, no damage or even pain. He laughed even harder, he wondered if she even noticed her efforts were completely in vain.  
>The laughter got old after about five minutes of repetitive stabbing. He looked at her, mildly curious, her eyes were completely blind. She had no idea at all that nothing was happening. He was getting bored. He gathered his chakra into his chest and let out a pulse which hurled the frothing madwoman away from him.<br>She landed hard on the ground and rolled backward, into a pine tree. She was directly under it's shadow. He laughed, she was finished. He'd seen the Kashu bloodline limit before, he had found it most entertaining. It didn't kill the victim in a physical sense, but it drove them insane within moments and then broke their mind completely, leaving them in what appeared to be a coma. Difference was that people had a chance of waking up from a coma.  
>He watched, smiling as the shadowy hand reached up and seized her against the trees, pulling her tighter and tighter against the tree. One hand snuck under her armour and writhed around her. She screamed in agony and terror, each touch, or so the Kyubbi had been told, was agony unlike anything that anyone could feel normally. It was just the start.<br>The shadow that had been slithering around on her flesh punched into the woman's chest. There were no more screams, but all of the blood drained from her face and her eyes had the look of someone who was suffering from horror that could reduce men back to a primeval state of mind. He was enjoying every moment seeing the torment of the one that had vexed him greatly moments ago. She had been dangerous while she was composed, but the fight ended when she gave in to her rage.  
>The next bit was the one that left even the Kyubbi cold. The shadowy hands emerged fully as figures of gaunt men. They pulled her out of her body, leaving her translucent soul exposed to the air, and then dragged it down, into the shadow. She tried to grasp at the air and avoid her fate; it was the desperate last cries of a doomed soul.<br>It reminded him that he too could become a victim of that horrifying technique. Then it came. It wasn't a sound heard by the ear, but by the mind and soul. The death shriek had turned men insane before, their minds unable to cope with the last wail of the mind and soul that had been so utterly destroyed. It pierced his mind and drove him down. Even he was not immune.

Kaisen gulped down air. Using his bloodline limit was always draining. This time round his emotions remained untouched by the events, but he could remember the remorse and regret he'd felt after the first time he'd used it. He'd never lost his hatred for that technique.  
>Still, his vengeance was becoming a reality. He thought back, willingly letting himself drop into his memories. His wife, her sharp features, long black hair and slender figure. She'd been praised as the most beautiful women to enter the Kashu clan. He remembered their first meeting, it had been under a starry sky before his first and only chunin examination.<br>He remembered when she'd finally fallen in love with him in the Kashu clan's secret cave, by the pool. He remembered her smell so vividly, like patchouli oil and roses. The smell still sent a small shiver through him, even now.  
>He brought himself out of his thoughts and activated his shadow flicker. It brought him up near the daemon.<br>"It's been quite sometime, nine-tails, how'd you end up in Naruto?" he asked, slightly amused that the greatest of tailed daemons had been caught and sealed away.  
>"As cocky as ever, aren't you Kashu Kaisen. I would appreciate some respect." It growled it him, stung by the hidden barb behind his question, he so loved taunting the daemon.<br>"So how long do you want to keep the Façade going, I know you attacked Konoha and a bit of the story about your sealing. None of that really matters to me, but you're needed. You know why I'm really here, aside from revenge, and the price if I fail." He said. He had no idea how the daemon would respond. He was relying on the assumption that daemon, even with their evil nature, would respond to reason.  
>"yes, I know. As much as I hate this world and your race, there are still things that are precious to me. I've read your clans little book, I'm the only one aside from you with a copy. I know all to well what will happen. I've seen it happen elsewhere." It said calmly. Kaisen didn't know what to say, he knew the kyubbi was ageless but the fact it was old enough to have seen a prophecy fail on a different world was still staggering.<br>"Don't worry, I know what must be done. For once, I'm going to be a benefit… but there will come a time where I will take my pay for it." It finished letting the threat hang in the air. Kaisen was about to say more, but he knew the Kyubbi was already gone as Naruto's limp form began to fall to the ground.

Sakura yawned. She was tired, it'd taken nearly all of her willpower to stay awake. She looked down at Lee's face. She wondered if he'd make it, his heart was nearly crippled by the Pillar of War's attack and all of his ribs were broken. He was delicate now; it was dangerous even to move him. She hated to see her friend in such a state, especially Lee. He had a habit of going out of his depth and getting hurt.  
>He was nearly as reckless as Naruto.<br>As the thought crossed her mind she saw a movement ahead of her. The hostel room was dark, but she knew exactly who had woken. It was Naruto, finally awake after being asleep since the battle. She held up the torch in her hand and saw his face. It scared her.  
>He looked terrified and haunted, as if he'd seen, heard or felt something he wished with all his heart that he hadn't. She cocked her head at him. He looked at her and simply shook his head. He was drenched in sweat, maybe he'd caught something from the plague ninja she thought.<br>She smiled at him, of course he hadn't, he was above such things somehow. He'd never been sick, aside from occasional stomach aches he got from eating bad food. She wondered if it was some hidden talent or just sheer determination. She knew it was the former, his healing was somehow linked to his red chakra.  
>He got up and strode over to her. He knelt beside her and whispered<br>"how is everyone?"  
>"me, you, Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru and Kaisen are fine. Shino's shoulder is broken, Shikamaru has a broken arm and collar bone as well as massive bruising and Neji lost most of his chakra and went into shock. Lee might not make it, he has lost a lot of blood, his heart is nearly crippled and his chakra pathways are nearly severed in some locations." She informed him, her jaw feeling heavy with worry and fatigue.<br>Naruto nodded and spoke again. "Sakura, when we get near the target, take my advice. NEVER step into any shadow other than your own. Suffering the Kashu bloodline limit is probably worse than death… even the people who see it get hurt by it."  
>Sakura was stunned by him, he was serious, as than she had ever seen him. she was so stunned she didn't even realise that he'd already left the room. Damn him, she needed some sleep!<p>

Kaisen was perched up on the roof of the hostel. The place wasn't very defensible, but it was the only place he could find room. The town itself was quite a lively one, he'd been here before and he liked it. In the morning he'd go for some supplies and maybe some scouting for information. He doubted he'd find any.  
>He also face the problem of Lee's injuries, he couldn't move and time wasn't a luxury they had, but they couldn't leave him alone or move him back to Konoha. He would have to leave Sakura here, but that meant that the two team system was out of the window and they had no medic. He'd have to have someone else stay, but none of them were medics…<br>What should he do.  
>Something landed on the roof. He sprang up immediately, sword hissing out of its sheath. He looked at the petrified form. It was Naruto. Kaisen looked at him, he looked fearful and fear was not something he had come to associate with the rash, unpredictable shinobi.<br>"what's bothering you?" he asked, voice as level as ever.  
>"I-I-in truth, you, Kaisen… that bloodline limit that you and our target have scare me. I'm not ashamed to admit it, but I'm scared." He said, voice wavering. Kaisen had been surprised yet again, he had not expected such an admission.<br>"for any man to be scared of that is not a shameful thing, it is a horrible gift that my clan has and I hate using it with all that's left of my soul." He said, trying to allay his fear. If he started to get scared now, there was no chance of him resisting the genjutsu sword relic that their target wielded. "though, there is no need to be afraid Naruto, both you and I are immune to it… I because of my blood and you because of your seal" Kaisen knew it was a lie, but only half… Naruto was immune to it, but not because of the kyubbi.  
>Naruto looked up at him and nodded. Kaisen could still feel the fear in him, it was palpable. This blonde ninja reminded him so much of his daughter's lover, he was proud, powerful and honourable but there was still human frailty in him. he was still human, despite carrying a daemon… Kaisen had to admit that it was remarkable.<br>"so what do we do with fuzzy-brows?"  
>"I honestly don't know." Kaisen told him. there was no point in hiding it, they were stuck. There was nothing they could do but hope Sakura's healing had done it's work. Naruto slumped down onto the tiles.<br>"you confuse me… sometimes you seem cold and unyielding as rock, but other times you seem compassionate and understanding. But what confuses me this most is that you were not affected by the genjutsu of that woman, even when I could feel it tugging at the edges of the Kyubbi. How did you do that?" Naruto said, his voice still showing fear and sadness.  
>Kaisen sighed, should he tell the truth, the story behind the traitor and his now dead acolytes, the story of his own personal tragedy. For some reason he trusted Naruto, just as he had trusted the man he reminded him of. Maybe it would help to tell him. there wasn't much hope, but maybe…<br>"in truth, the reason I am like you describe and was able to ignore her genjutsu was that I am already dead…" he began, not sure of his wording but still plunging ahead with his story, about the prophecy of his clan and how it had foretold Tzumaru's treachery, how Tzumaru had turned against the Kashu clan and slew Kaisen's wife and daughter, and of the battle when Kaisen had stood alone against the four pillars and Tzumaru. He told Naruto of his defeat and of Tzumaru's words that told him what was to come was more interesting then slaying him. lastly he explained to Naruto that the battle had actually killed him and that only a strong ninjutsu technique kept his blood and Chakra flowing.  
>Naruto looked at him, fear replaced with awe and respect. The tale semmed to have had an impact on him, Kaisen thought.<br>"So…. How are you related to Tzumaru?" the boy asked.  
>"he is my son…"<p>

Hinata sighed, they'd reached the bridge but everyone was a little down about having to leave Lee for the med nin that were on their way to him. Kaisen had assured them it was necessary but it really didn't help. They'd left their friend behind, and left him with the bitter disappointment that he was to be left out of the mission.  
>The only one who seemed to have a semblance of a good mood was Naruto. That cheer Hinata slightly, he always seemed happy if none of his friends were in immediate danger. It was one of the many things she truly loved about him, aside from being very comfortable when she was asleep.<br>Hinata was shocked at herself for thinking it and the thought immediately made her face feel warm. But still, she knew that it was defiantly a virtue.  
>She didn't realise until she bumped into him that he'd stopped, looking at one specific spot. She looked at him closely, her eyes focusing on his. They were somehow both happy and sad, as if he'd seen things that he'd rather not have but at the same time hoped he'd never forget. She wondered what could have happened, so she asked.<br>"What's the matter Naruto-kun?"  
>he swallowed before answering "that's the spot where Haku and Zabuza died together… it was one of the more tragic things that I've seen…" his voice trailed off and he seemed to be lost in thought. Hinata asked him for more answers and he explained about the relationship between Haku and Zabuza and how Zabuza had realised how wrongly he'd treated his student as well as making one last try at making amends.<br>Hinata found that by the end of Naruto's story there were tears in her eyes. Just the thought of Haku's sacrifice and Zabuza's redemption were truly touching, she also found that they he crossed the entire bridge in the time it took to tell the story.

Naruto looked at her. She really was beautiful, and she never cased to amaze him. he could tell the story had the appropriate effect. It was one of the things he'd never forget. The last stand of the Daemon of the Mist. So far two of the seven ninja swords had died in a touching way, Zabuza trying to redeem himself in his students eyes and Raiga who had incinerated himself so that his friend could move away from a life of evil without regrets.  
>Suddenly something heavy landed on his back and he staggered forwards. He was tempted to spin and throw whatever it was to the ground, but the yell it gave proved it was actually a who rather than an it. he was someone Naruto had very much wanted to see.<br>"Inari! Long time no see eh?" Naruto exclaimed. He was to excited to hold it in, it had been many years since he'd seen the young boy.  
>"truly, I knew you'd come and visit eventually! I see the girl, but where are the other two guys you were with last time?" Inari asked.<br>"Well, Kakashi-Sensei has a different mission and sasuke… he… it's a long story," he finished, he really didn't want to think of his lost friend right now. Inari dislodged himself from Naruto's back and turned to face him. Naruto was amazed at how much he'd grown. He was as tall as Naruto, heavily muscled and carried a sword that Naruto recognised all too well.  
>"hey, Inari, why is Zabuza's sword strapped to your back?" naruto asked, his voice lapsing back into his old way of showing confusion.<br>"well, after you guys left, everyone in the town thought it would be a good idea to have something like a police department but more focussed on the defence of the town rather than crime… and since I was the one who led everyone to the bridge, I got the job of leading it. Gramps helped me for the most part and about a year back I hung up my old crossbow and started using Zabuza's sword." He explained. Naruto perked up as another question sprang into his head.  
>"So where is the old man anyways?" Naruto asked, wanting to see the old bridge expert again.<br>"His funeral was six months ago…" Inari said, his voice trailing off and his gaze dropping to the floor.  
>"oh… I'm really sorry, he was a true hero." Naruto said, picking the word hero very specifically. Only Inari's grandfather had enough courage to stand up to Gatoh and his men by building the bridge. "and he got to see his country prosper because of his work, I imagine that meant he was happy, too," he added.<br>Inari looked up at him and smiled. Naruto guessed that his words had helped. Inari looked at Hinata and spoke again  
>"so, not meaning to be impolite, but who are you?"<br>"That's Hinata. Hinata, this is Inari. I'll have to introduce you to the rest of the team, though you already know Sakura…"


End file.
